Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Mine is a similar issue. Some of the rules on forced retirements and so forth were introduced to address pensions, particularly in the Defence Forces. These rules are from a different time. The Minister has allowed short-term fixes so that particular ranks can stay on beyond 50 years of age, which is welcome. He mentioned the interdepartmental working group. What is its timeline? Could there be a short-term fix as we await the group’s outworking? I hope it can offer a solution. There is a significant retention issue in the Defence Forces. I imagine all of us have been approached about anomalous abatement situations. That might be a wider conversation, but the issue needs to be addressed.

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