Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman and welcome the Minister of State to the House. Fianna Fáil will be fully supporting this Bill as initiated by Senator Craughwell and his colleagues. This Bill provides for the establishment of a veterans' lapel badge to be conferred by the Minister of State with special responsibility for defence upon former members of the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and the Reserve Defence Force. Whether the provision of such a badge should actually require legislation is not clear but we fully support the concept of veterans receiving it.

The purpose of the veterans' lapel badge is to raise the profile of our Defence Forces veterans by assisting the wider public to easily recognise and acknowledge veterans who have served their country either at home or abroad. While the principle of military neutrality remains a core element of Irish foreign policy, and while the numbers in our Defence Forces are small compared to other countries, the dedication and loyalty of the women and men who have served is no less valuable than that of those from our larger, non-neutral European neighbours. Their contribution deserves equal formal recognition, not just during active service but also upon retirement.

Irish troops are today deployed in United Nations, European Union and NATO-led missions in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. They leave their families for six months at a time, missing milestones such as birthdays, christenings and family weddings. When they go abroad they are aware that they are going on a peacekeeping mission, often to very volatile and fragile countries. They are most certainly more at risk then, than if they were to stay at home. There were scenes of jubilation at Dublin Airport last Friday when troops returned home from a six-month deployment in south Lebanon. Watching the news on Friday, I saw troops walking through the airport doors, some from my own home town of Cavan, to be greeted by families delighted to have them safely home for Christmas. All of the troops walking through those doors were wearing their Irish Army uniforms. They were easily recognisable in their blue berets. With this Bill they can now be recognised by the badges on their lapels. The author of the Bill, Senator Craughwell, himself a former soldier in both the British and Irish armies, is very well aware of the sense of unity, camaraderie and esprit de corps among the Defence Forces veterans, and how good it would feel to be able to recognise other veterans by their lapel badges.

Former Liberal Democrat M.P., Stephen Gilbert, published legislation in the House of Commons on Armistice Day 2014, calling for a national defence medal to be introduced in the United Kingdom. The aim of his legislation was to honour the millions of armed forces veterans who did not in fact fight in battles. Mr. Gilbert argued at the time that those who give themselves to their country should be recognised. This argument still holds today. The decision to serve is no less impressive and worthy than that of those who have seen conflict. We understand that Senator Craughwell will be moving amendments to introduce a military covenant for the Defence Forces along the lines of that in place in the United Kingdom.Fianna Fáil will be proud to support those amendments.

I acknowledge, as Senator Craughwell did, the enormous contribution the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, has made, together with the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, in ensuring the heroes of Jadotville are to be recognised. On many occasions in this House I have raised issues concerning the Defence Forces, as has Senator Craughwell. I join Senator Boyhan in paying tribute to Senator Craughwell for his work in bringing forward these proposals. Senators Mac Lochlainn, McFadden and others have raised concerns about the low morale among personnel in the forces. Given that the matter has very little recognition outside of their own ranks, it is up to us to highlight the difficulties they are experiencing.

I take this opportunity, rather than having to raise it on the Order of Business, to refer to an e-mail I received from Mr. DJ Moore of the Kildare North comhairle Dáil ceantair of my party in which he points to a motion that was proposed at a recent meeting by Mr. Joe Kelly from Sallins and Councillor Michael Coleman, both of whom are Defence Forces veterans. I understand Councillor Coleman is known to Senator Craughwell. In his address to the meeting, Mr. Kelly said that the core structures of the Army are under increasing strain and that, as a result and due to manpower shortages, soldiers are completing often traumatic tours of duty without receiving the necessary psychological aftercare before then being sent off on further tours without appropriate rest. Mr. Kelly pointed to the urgency of the situation whereby two thirds of recruits are leaving after training and concluded by noting that while the Army had never let down the State, the men and women of the armed forces feel the State is letting them down. Those few lines sum up what we in this House have been attempting to bring to the attention of the Minister of State and the Government.

I acknowledge the Minister of State has a difficult situation to deal with, but I am asking him to grasp it with both hands and take on his own Department. We have seen in recent days and in recent years how Departments, and some high-ranking officials in those Departments, can mislead the person who has political responsibility and hang him or her out to dry. I implore the Minister of State to grasp this issue with both hands and discover what is really going on in his Department. I pay tribute to the work he is doing as Minister of State at the Department of Defence.