Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

How many of those events, engagements and media partnership relationships have resulted in people signing up as members of the Defence Forces, particularly the navy? I give credit to Niall O'Connor on his article published onthejournal.iethis evening. On a specific question relating to that article, was the Minister informed at his recent trip to Cork that there was an impending need to tie up another navy ship due to staffing shortfalls? Earlier this year, the Minister, along with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, announced €2.4 million for the Defence Forces in connection with Science Foundation Ireland. It is a clever initiative. However, there are only six or seven educational qualifications that allow a person to become an engine room artificer with the navy. What direct engagement has been had with those students on those courses in respect of pursuing a career in the navy? It appears that those students are being poached by much higher paying employers. There is also the fact that, given the pressures that crews on Naval Service ships are under, the current Government programmes in the context of tax credits are simply not viable.

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