Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

At the very minimum, we should look at the stock we already have at our disposal. I believe we can reanimate some of it and get Defence Forces staff back into it. This may even be an emergency situation. There was a report in The Irish Timestwo weeks ago regarding a young woman, a member of the Defence Forces who had a child, who ended up homeless and sleeping in a car when the Defence Forces, which previously might have offered temporary accommodation until she got back on her feet, were not in a position to do so. That motivated the question I asked about the stock we have. I do not want to use the word "brave" but we need to be more open-minded with regard to bringing some of that accommodation back on track. It cannot simply lie idle. St. Bricin's Hospital is another example.

In the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, there is a target of 11,600. We are approximately 4,000 short of that figure. We are making good strides incrementally but are we going to lose more people than we can bring into the system? That is a big fear I have. With regard to the steps he is taking, is the Tánaiste confident that we can put basic measures, such as those relating to pay, in place within that timeframe? I understand that staffing at officer level is at the establishment figure but we seem to be having problems at the lower ranks. Is the Tánaiste confident we can address those issues?

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