Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I had the pleasure of joining him on a tour of the barracks in Cork recently. As Deputy Troy said earlier, his visits to barracks and naval bases around the country are welcome. They will give him a firm understanding of the issues facing the Defence Forces.

The Minister will be aware that one of the main issues facing the Defence Forces' representative organisations is the working time directive. The Commission on the Defence Forces recommended the expeditious removal of the blanket exclusion of the Defence Forces from the Organisation of Working Time Act, subject to the application of the derogations permitted by the directive. Will it happen as expeditiously as has been recommended by the commission?

The Minister may be aware that there is concern among some personnel that derogations from the directive sought by military management might be so vast as to render the application of the directive pointless. Can the Minister assure us this will not be the case?

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