Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On 18 January last, I wrote to the Department of Defence to seek information with regard to the appointment of an additional assistant secretary general in the Department. In my freedom of information request I sought a copy of the correspondence between the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I also sought details about the reasons for the appointment.

The Department of Defence has 440 employees. It has a Secretary General, two assistant secretaries general and a finance administrator, who holds the rank of an assistant secretary general. My freedom of information request was partially agreed. Some 75 pages of documents were exchanged between the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to get agreement for this appointment. The Department refused to tell me, a public servant, what criteria were used to make the appointment. This job has a salary of €146,000 a year, yet the Department of Defence handed back €27 million of unused salary for those in uniform. At a time when the Department of Defence is in a crisis with regard to operational capability, what is the justification for an additional head of human resources for 440 employees? The uniformed personnel have their own HR department.

In line with the above efforts, the Minister was asked to secure additional naval appointments for the National Maritime College of Ireland, which is in or close to the Leader's constituency.This request by the Chief of Staff was refused by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We are speaking about an operational post refused by the Department, yet we are prepared to appoint an additional assistant secretary general head of HR for 440 people. We will finish up with the Department of Defence having a Secretary General, three assistant secretaries general and a finance director for 440 people. This is totally and utterly wrong. We have discussed the Defence Forces in the House and I note the Leader is making efforts to bring to the House the Minister of State with responsibility for defence. Today, I call for the Order of Business to be amended, and I do not do so lightly, to bring the Minister of State with responsibility for defence to the House to explain this. The public have a right to know why we are appointing an additional assistant secretary general to a Department which is tiny in the grand scheme of things. What is going on? What is contained in the 72 or 73 pages of correspondence between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Defence? One particular series of documents amounts to 21 pages. There is something seriously wrong when we have bomb disposal people on duty for 15 days a month because we do not have enough commissioned officers to do the work. There is something terribly wrong when we have young officers away from home for as many as 25 days a month. I propose the amendment to the Order of Business so that, before the end of the day, the Minister of State will come to the House to speak on this specific issue.