John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The practice that was allowed to develop over many years whereby the Department was forced to rely on the inability to reach the establishment figure was an inbuilt reliance on failure to plug gaps and shortcomings in funding for other elements and areas within the Defence Forces. It spoke of a lack of ambition and desire to address the chronic haemorrhaging of members of the Defence Forces. The Tánaiste might outline what the underspend on pay is in the context of the shortfall of 1,500 personnel versus the establishment figure. What is that real figure? While the Tánaiste is dressing this up as some sort of victory for the Defence Forces, the reality this speaks of is a continuation of failure, especially when retention primarily revolves around pay and issues around that. I ask the Tánaiste for a specific figure. What is the underspend on the payroll?

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