Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports this Bill and commends Senator Craughwell on bringing this important issue before the House. Its provisions offer a means of honouring those who have served in our Defence Forces and brought honour upon our country. We are immensely proud of our Defence Forces, particularly those members who have served overseas. The calibre of the men and women who represent Ireland on the international stage, especially in the area of peacekeeping, is best exemplified by the men who participated in the Jadotville siege in 1961. I am overjoyed that the surviving veterans of that event and the loved ones of those who have passed away will be presented with medals. It was important finally to have a standing up to elements within the Department of Defence who were resisting that development. I thank the Minister of State for listening to the voices in this House, as did the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny. It will be a proud day for our country when those medals are pinned on our heroes' chests.

I hope this Bill will give us the opportunity to honour the heroes among the crew of the LÉ Clionafor their actions during the fire on that vessel in 1962. My colleague, the Sinn Féin spokesperson on defence, Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, has written to the Minister of State about this. We would like to see commemorative medals presented to the loved ones of those who proved themselves so brave on that occasion. Eighty lives were saved as a result of the heroism they demonstrated. Of particular note were the actions of Lieutenant Pat O'Mahony, the engineer Maurice Egan, and the stokers Gerry O'Callaghan and William Mynes. They were all badly burnt in that incident and deserve now to be honoured for their incredible bravery. I hope this Bill will facilitate that.

The capacity to present medals for service given is something that can help to raise the morale of our Defence Forces. However, there have been several issues in recent times that have damaged the morale of personnel, with concerns regarding pay and conditions probably being top of the list. The University of Limerick report published some years ago was devastating in its outlining of how so many Defence Forces members rely on family income supplement to top up their wages. Some of them have had to sleep on boats and in cars because they cannot afford accommodation costs. That is not acceptable. These people bring honour to the State by their service at home and on the international scene. We have all been immensely proud, in particular, of those personnel who served in the Mediterranean in recent years. We must pay these people a fair wage, not have a situation where they require their income to be subsidised in order to get by.

My party colleagues, Deputies David Cullinane and Aengus Ó Snodaigh, have published a Bill that would allow members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces to join trade unions. In the interest of the security of the State, the Bill does not propose to facilitate their ability to strike, but it would give them access to the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission and allow them to participate in wage negotiations and agreements. It would define them in legislation as workers, while acknowledging citizens' concerns that they do not have the capacity to strike. I hope the Minister of State will give serious consideration to that Bill.

I am sure the Minister of State has received representations from a range of Oireachtas Members regarding the restructuring of brigades and how that is impacting on resources and the conditions of serving members in terms, for example, of the long distances they have to travel, from places like Donegal and elsewhere, to make duty in Dublin city. That is an issue about which Senator Craughwell has spoken at length.

I urge the Minister of State to support the Bill before us this evening. He and I do not always see eye to eye, but I take this opportunity to acknowledge the decisive action he has taken on Jadotville. That was a marvellous intervention which demonstrated his capacity to stand up on these matters. I ask that he take note of the issues I raised regarding the rights and morale of members of the Defence Forces. We in these Houses must work together to do better by the men and women serving this country. It is good to have a chance today to express our immense pride in them. I had the opportunity when I was defence spokesperson for my party to travel to Haulbowline naval base, Baldonnel Aerodrome, Michael Collins Barracks and other barracks across the State. We have the most wonderful Defence Forces personnel, people who have great pride in their work and show enormous professionalism in the way they apply themselves, particularly on international service. We must work harder to stand by them and show our appreciation of what they do. The Bill before us today represents a good start in that regard, as does the decision to present medals to our Jadotville heroes. We must keep that momentum going.