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

There is a very unusual situation in the navy. There can be several people on the same boat doing the same job but getting three different levels of pay. That is simply unacceptable. What is clear, even in terms of the seagoing service commitment but specifically in respect of the tax credit, is that one cannot penalise Naval Service personnel for not reaching 80 days at sea if the ship on which they are meant to be serving does not have the correct staff complement to be able to leave the dock.

I return to the issue of the minimum educational qualifications for a person to become an engine room artificer in the navy. What engagement has the Minister had with the Minister, Deputy Harris, in respect of encouraging the students who are currently pursuing those educational qualifications to consider a career in the navy? I refer to the establishment that is there. According to the latest figures from the Department, relating to May 2022, there were 845 personnel in the Naval Service. That is a shortage of 250 personnel. We can have all the boats in the world but they will be little use to us if we do not have the people to put onto them. As an island nation, this should be a priority.

We need our navy at sea. Our justice system needs our navy at sea, as do our fisheries, to prevent the smuggling of illicit items coming in off our coasts.

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