Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil is delighted to support this legislation. As the Minister of State has said, it is a technical Bill which relates merely to the appointment of Rear Admiral Mark Mellet as Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. The Bill provides for a commissioned rank of Vice Admiral in the Naval Service to be equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant General which is the traditional rank held by members of the Army, as the Minister of State has explained.

We wish Rear Admiral Mark Mellet every success in his appointment. Like the Minister of State, we thank Lieutenant General O'Boyle for his service. We also greatly appreciate all of the service that is given by the Defence Forces, whether by the Army, the Naval Service or the Air Corps. We thank them for the work they do at home, which is considerable and varied, and for the work they continue to do abroad, which is in the nature of peacekeeping. I mean keeping people separate that are fighting and generally keeping the peace, which is a distinguished role that Ireland has played over many years as a small neutral country. Without further ado, I wish to say Fianna Fáil supports the Bill and thinks this is a very positive move for the Defence Forces.