John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Defence Forces and this report. I come from Kilkenny city, where James Stephens Barracks is located and where the oldest unit in the Defence Forces, The Bloods, are stationed. I know the value of having the barracks in the constituency. I also know the loyalty and support that family members give to members of the Defence Forces in the context of carrying out their duties. I have heard many debates in this House on the Defence Forces and improving their lot, as it were. They ranged in time from leading objections to the closure of barracks, and ensuring that the barracks in Kilkenny remained open. Every so often, an attempt would be made to reconfigure the armed forces and to reconfigure the location of barracks, but Kilkenny always survived. During the course of those debates, the issue of pay arose. I would love to see any effort to improve the Defence Forces, starting with the personnel and their wages. A significant amount of work needs to be done to improve the human resource element of the Defence Forces and its management. I want to see the members of the Defence Forces being paid a lot more. I also want to see an end to the contracts. Any restructuring of the command in the Defence Forces must be structured in a way that acknowledge fully the role of the soldiers as they enlist and proceed in their career in a legitimate and transparent way through the ranks of the Army. To my mind, that does not happen at present. We need to make it happen.

I call for an investment in personnel and in the existing barracks around the country. A significant investment is needed in Kilkenny Barracks. The waters are muddied in terms of investments in barracks when we hear about the barracks in Dublin being investigated for the provision of houses. We must get our facts right about that. That sends out messages to barracks in other locations and gives rise to the question of whether they are next. We must be clear about this. We have barracks such as the one in Kilkenny that are established and well run. They are part of the history and the delivery of services through the armed forces. They have been part of our missions abroad, which built up the reputation and respect Army personnel have both at home and abroad. We need to state clearly our intentions regarding the barracks and the investment that will happen in the coming years. We must also be clear about the improvements that we expect from the ground up and we must ensure that those that are recruited are paid and that they have a pathway to a very positive career ahead of them.

My experience of dealing with the soldiers who are based locally, who I come across in my constituency work, is that they love the job and they are proud of their uniform, yet they feel there is not the level of respect that should be there. That level of respect can come about in many ways. If you respect the personnel within your business unit, you will pay them. I would like to see the pay increase being the first change the Minister will implement. The career pathways in the Army must be open to all of the new aspects of defending a country such as cybersecurity. We must examine that and ensure that the Defence Forces are properly funded and that the personnel are properly paid for what they do.

I would also like to see better organisation for retired soldiers, the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, ONE, and those who represented our country in the past. I believe they are badly treated. I meet them on occasion and I know of the fundraising they have to do to ensure that those who are retired and in need of housing or financial support are given that support. If we are to be proud of our Defence Forces generally, we should ensure they are looked after in their retirement. It is similar with those who are ex-Army and who are now participating in independent groups that are presenting the past to us in all of these celebrations, such as Kevin McCormack, who is an activist in this area. They put on great shows of support for the Army by way of the old uniforms, old vehicles and so on. There is a lot that can be done to improve morale within the forces. Those steps should be taken first before any other major investment is put in place.

I want to mention the women the Minister met. Issues like that have to be dealt with immediately, with no holding back - you take the issue, you deal with it and you act honourably. I am not saying the Minister did not do so. I am saying that he would act honourably in terms of dealing with the situation.

I spoke to Donal and Liz Jevens today. Cadet David Jevens died as a member of the Air Corps. His parents are seeking the truth in respect of that accident. I ask the Minister to respond to them, given that the Garda and the Commissioner are now involved. They would welcome a more open and transparent way of dealing with their case. As I said, the Commissioner is involved. I urge the Minister to take an interest in what the Commissioner is doing and respond accordingly to the family.

I support any initiative that will improve the Defence Forces and their conditions and that pathway to a greater career. I urge the Minister to start immediately in seeking the funds to ensure that all of this will happen sooner rather than later.

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