John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Morale within the Defence Forces, particularly the Naval Service, is at an all-time low. The strength of the Naval Service is approximately 770, although the active and effective strength is probably less than 750. Thirteen months ago, when the commission's report was published, that number stood at 867. That it is now 100 less than it was 13 months ago shows that the haemorrhaging continues, despite the publication of the commission report. Since 2017, successive Governments have attempted to recruit their way out of the retention crisis and that has been an abysmal failure to say the least. Earlier this month, a graduation class for 2022 saw 11 people pass out. The net result of the recruitment and retention crisis is complete burn-out.

The Minister has said he wants to implement the working time directive as quickly as possible. I am told that exemptions from the working time directive are being looked at in 13 areas. Can the Minister confirm that naval patrols are one of the areas being looked at for an exemption from the directive?

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