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

I am on the record several times as having said that the implementation of the working time directive in the Defence Forces is the single most important thing we can do to address the crisis in recruitment and retention. I hear frustration from members of the Defence Forces all the time about what they consider to be false dawns, slipping deadlines and missed targets. This leads them to question the credibility of the commitment to move forward.

Members of the Defence Forces do a unique job. It will never be a standard nine-to-five job, but it is not acceptable that we are still in a situation where we expect members of the Defence Forces to operate in circumstances in which no other members of the workforce do. It is regrettable that it has taken so long for the recording of hours to happen. This has only come about in recent weeks. I cannot understand why it has taken so long, but I expect it will happen permanently because in the absence of recording hours, it is impossible to quantify how much it will cost. How much money has been allocated for the plan to implement the working time directive next year?

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