Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As we have heard, since they were first deployed in the Mediterranean, Irish Naval Service personnel have saved a total of 16,806 people. That is more than every man, woman and child in a town the size of Malahide, Leixlip or Tullamore. Just picture that and try to imagine what might have happened to these people if the Irish navy had not become involved in this mission - if we had listened to all the people who said that it could not or should not be done. Luckily, the former Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, did not listen to them and those people were rescued by Irish personnel.

The question I often ask myself is why anyone would take the risk of boarding an overcrowded vessel with

We must shift our focus to disrupting the business of human traffickers and bring this heinous crime and practice to an end. It is the advice of the Defence Forces general staff that the redeployment of Naval Service vessels to Operation Sophia will contribute more effectively to disrupting the practices of those illegal and criminal elements engaged in people smuggling and also in countering the risk to life posed to migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean in unsafe and unseaworthy vessels. This must be our priority. It is important to remember that Ireland will only participate in operations which are authorised under UN Security Council resolutions. It is also important that we work hard to address the overall refugee and trafficking issue and indeed the underlying conflict but that does not mean that we should put off acting until this has been done.

In conclusion, I have always been immensely proud of the Irish Defence Forces, including the UN veterans. l would like to pay particular credit to the members of the Irish Naval Service who have worked so bravely and professionally in what must be very difficult and emotionally challenging circumstances.I urge the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, to keep this in mind in upcoming discussions on pay and conditions in the Irish Defence Forces. Military service is unlike any other profession and Defence Forces' personnel deserve to have that difference recognised and remunerated accordingly.