Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

As pointed out by a number of speakers on this side, it is up to the Government to decide where savings are to be made. While I accept that savings must be made within the Department of Defence, taking this out on 700 soldiers and their families is not the way to go about it. The document I have before me details the wages of the top rank and file of the armed forces. Most of the people that are deciding the future of the soldiers in the five barracks referred to in Fianna Fáil's motion are on average salaries of €150,000 per annum, basic. This does not take into account the various plethora of allowances that goes with their cosy positions.