Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I fully agree. You are entirely right. If I felt everything was perfect, I would not passionately believe we need to establish the office of veteran affairs. The Deputy is entirely right. There is a need for a greater sustained focus and co-ordination on the range of issues veterans can experience in the here and now, as the Deputy said, immediately after leaving the Defence Forces and returning from a mission, but also years down the road. We have a duty to them after their service to our country.

On the issue of housing, I was very impressed by the work being done by the organisation ONE, when I visited it in Smithfield, where housing options are provided for people who have served as veterans and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It has very exciting plans to further expand the number of locations across the country, which my Department and other Departments are endeavouring to try to assist them with now.

This is an area where we are in a better place as a country in our awareness of veterans and the supports that are there than we were a number of years ago. There is still a journey to go. If we can establish an office of veterans' affairs, that will in and of itself mean a lot to people because it is recognition. It will be a very public statement of recognition for anybody who has served that we see them, hear them, want to work with them, have their back, want to better co-ordinate how we support them and thank them for their service. That is why it is a priority to establish this. I will certainly keep in close contact with the Deputy on it.

See this speech in context