Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I revert to RACO's appearance before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence earlier. It made a very powerful presentation. One of the criticisms that was set out was that the organisation, that is, the Defence Forces, continues to prioritise costly labour-intensive recruitment policies in favour of tangible retention initiatives. We know there is a need for recruitment initiatives, but we have to deal with the retention issue. It was set out today by RACO, it has been put on the record by PDFORRA, and it has been stated to me and, I am sure, every Member of this House by every serving member of the Defence Forces I have spoken to that the number one retention initiative that can be taken is the working time directive. The Tánaiste is on the record as saying he is prioritising that, yet we have no timeframe at all. What does that prioritising look like, and when will we see the working time directive implemented?

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