James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, on his appointment and wish him well in that role. No doubt, it is going to be one with plenty of travel and I know he will do his very best for us.

In regard to the latest European Council summit, a number of important points were made. There was particular reference to the passing of Private Seán Rooney following his very sad death in Lebanon. I pay tribute to both him and Trooper Shane Kearney, who comes from my home parish where I am well acquainted with the family. It is good to see that he is making a recovery. Our thoughts are with them and the Kearney family, their relations and friends in east Cork, Killeagh in particular, and also Trooper Kearney's comrades in the Defence Forces. What happened came as a huge shock to us. If there is anything positive, it is that he is in good condition. It was very sad about the loss of his colleague and we remember him today in the Dáil.

Not everybody is going to agree with what I have to say but I must ask what the price of freedom is. I heard some of the rhetoric in this House today regarding the war in Ukraine. I respect that we are neutral country but it is not Ireland's decision and Ireland does not have the capacity to try to stop the conflict that is going on there. While we do have a voice on whether these hostilities come to an end, let us be realistic. It is up to Russia to do that. There seems to be no acknowledgement of that from some of the speakers who come in here complaining about Ireland's stance on neutrality. Effectively, the conflict will drag on and on until Ukraine can either defeat Russia, or Russia manages to do the opposite, which, of course, none of us here would like to see. This is a country that knows how difficult it is to obtain independence, to maintain it and to build a successful nation, which we have done for the past century. It is important that we acknowledge there has to be some level of protection of that. Something that is often lost in this House by some figures in the Opposition is that we have to do some work to try to protect that at the level of defence.

I understand a significant proportion of the European Council meeting was spent discussing defence spending and issues pertaining to the conflict in Ukraine. Unfortunately, in this country, we currently have two naval vessels tied up because we are unable to crew them. A message I would like to bring to the Government is that we need to get our own act in order. Unfortunately, I am hearing from people in the Defence Forces living in my constituency that they are continuing to struggle when it comes to pay and conditions. Another issue that is heavily affecting the Defence Forces is that in Cork in particular, where the main naval base and home station is located at Haulbowline, there is huge demand for people who are skilled operators of ships, for example, marine engineers and people who are able to service the ships while on deployment. They are not staying in the Defence Forces due to the pay and conditions and because there are better alternatives for them in the area of Cork county and city. Pharmaceutical plants and medical device companies are crying out for these people because they are very well trained, respected and educated in their roles, and very passionate in the work they do.

The State needs to get serious about this. We are getting to a critical point where it is not going to be effective to maintain the Defence Forces that we have. We cannot afford to go backwards but this issue is being neglected, as it has been for a very long time. We have seen a gradual decline in the level of active personnel in the Defence Forces and it is also spilling over into other facets of the State, whether the Garda or other areas. I do not think we are being serious enough about this. We need to tackle the problem.

Another issue that has to be dealt with at European level, which I encourage the Minister of State to bring back to the Taoiseach, is that there needs to be much more discussion about financial relief, particularly for smaller businesses, not just here in Ireland but across Europe. European funding needs to be secured. We saw the great deal of success with which we managed to protect vulnerable businesses and industries throughout the pandemic, while economies across the Continent were very heavily impacted. Jobs, livelihoods and businesses were protected, in particular those that we needed in order to get on with life in a post-pandemic world. What I am starting to see, unfortunately, because of the drastic increase in the price of energy, the huge increases in the cost of materials, the logistical problems that stemmed from the pandemic and the consequences of the war is that many small businesses on our main streets in towns and villages across this country, and I am sure it is happening in other countries, are packing up because they cannot afford to keep going. It is appalling that we are allowing that to go unchallenged. The Government has to bring the message back to the European Union that there should be further relief and funding for small business owners across the length and breadth of the country because they have a role to play in the day-to-day life of society.

I have always been a strong believer in this. I am a member of Fianna Fáil and I regard myself as economically centre-left. The whole area of profitability around small business is important. People need to earn and make a livelihood out of running a small business. However, given the issues they are facing when it comes to the cost of inputs because of what happened in the Ukraine war and the pandemic, it is shameful to see them struggling to the extent they are. I do not think they feel they are being heard. I bring that message back to the Minister of State, Deputy Burke.

I want to highlight some degree of concern in another area. Deputy Connolly spoke at length about neutrality. I feel that our involvement in European Union battle groups is something that deserves a little more discussion in the precincts of this House. Obviously, such a move would be a huge adaptation of our role internationally in terms of the Defence Forces co-operating with other EU member states, particularly when there is an overlap with NATO. That debate has to happen here. It has to be thorough and there needs to be a national conversation on the issue. Polling shows very clearly that people’s minds on this issue are not made up and they are not very much in favour of this happening, but the point has to be made.

I said that I want to introduce a note of reality into the debate. In the next ten to 15 years, there will be great changes between the east and the west, between autocratic governments and democratic ones. We must do what we have to do to defend our way of life. That is just the reality.

From Ireland's point of view, I would hate to see us ever getting involved in any international conflict, but we must be realistic about where we stand at the moment. We are in a very poor position, not alone in terms of getting involved, but in defending ourselves also. I wish to emphasise the latter point. Unfortunately, within the Defence Forces - the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, will be aware of this - there are serious problems with the retention of staff. There are more serious problems with the lack of equipment. If we are serious about the conversation in the first place, pay and conditions must be addressed by the Government. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee about where the world is going over the next decade. It looks more uncertain than ever. The markets and the economy reflect that. Ireland must get serious about its own defence. We must try to remedy the situation we are currently experiencing which, unfortunately, is not very good.

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