Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and thank Senator Craughwell for introducing it and taking the initiative. I commend all Senators who have supported it. I am not certain its objective necessarily requires it to be anchored in primary legislation. I will await the Minister of State's advice on that but perhaps it could be achieved by way of regulation. I am interested in hearing the Minister of State's views on it. Notwithstanding all of that, the adoption of a formal badge awarded by the State to honour those who have served in our Defence Forces is an interesting suggestion and something that would be welcome by all of us and which would find favour with the public. It is appropriate, when necessary, that our ex-service men and women receive some kind of formal recognition of their service from the State. It would be a mark of our respect as citizens and our gratitude and pride for our Defence Forces, which is something we do not express enough. I have worked on a number of initiatives on a regular basis with ONE and its chief executive, Ollie O'Connor. Some of my party colleagues in County Louth are directors of ONE and I very much respect and admire the work they do, often in very difficult circumstances. I note this is an initiative they broadly support.

I have some observations on the Bill, which I am happy to share with the authors. Section 4 states the veterans lapel badge may be worn on formal occasions. I suggest to Senator Craughwell and his colleagues to drop that provision. It should be a pin that is worn more widely. It should be worn with pride every day so that we as citizens can see for ourselves those who have served in our communities. They are people who are active in our communities and we can recognise the service they have given to the State in defence of our country. We do not promote or recognise enough the value our Defence Forces bring to our democracy and national life. I firmly believe that ex-service men and women are the best possible ambassadors we have for our Defence Forces and are in a prime position to promote the Defence Forces in our community and to encourage young men and women to consider joining the Defence Forces. Let them wear the badge with pride on a daily basis so we can recognise and identify those in our community who have served with distinction over the years. They have earned that right.

Section 5 sets out the criteria Senator Craughwell and his colleagues propose for the conferring of a veteran's badge. It says that any individual, regardless of time served in the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps or RDF would meet the criteria laid down for the awarding of a badge.

Section 6 states that the Minister for Defence would have sole discretion to confer the award. I do not agree with that provision. There is nothing in the Bill preventing the awarding or not of a veteran's badge becoming overly exposed to political interference of some description or another. I am not saying that would be the case but we need to prevent the possibility of something like that happening in the future and the awarding of a badge of this nature becoming a political football. One way of addressing this would be to provide for a formal application process for those who have served. The criteria are loose and any legislation that gives far too much discretion to a Minister is something we should guard against. I am a big fan of ensuring that we have very clear rules in legislation. In the past, we have seen primary legislation that was not that clear and which provided too much discretion to a Minister and was undone in the courts. These sections need to be tightened up. I suggest the awarding of a badge of this nature to veterans be restricted to those who have at least one contract of service. If they did not manage to fulfil that one contract of service due to ill-health, for example, then we could consider that. I am a strong believer in the idea that somebody should at least serve one contract of service before they are awarded a badge of this nature by the State. We do not want to see somebody who has disgraced the uniform and been court-martialled and discharged receiving this badge and besmirching the good name of the Defence Forces and delegitimising it in some way. I hope they are issues that can be addressed on Committee and Report Stages.

On a separate but related matter, we are all familiar with the fuchsia campaign which Senator Craughwell referred to earlier. It is a very important initiative that raises much needed funds for ONE, an organisation that carries out extremely good work, as Senator McFadden said. The campaign is run in July of each year around the national day of remembrance. I am often struck by the fact that when I wear the pin in July, some people come up to me on the street to ask me what it is. They do not automatically understand what it signifies. That is a very poor reflection on us as a society. The poppy is extremely well anchored in British society, and rightly so. It is high time the Government gave some consideration to formally recognising the fuchsia as a national symbol of remembrance of those who have served or lost their lives in the service of our country. I ask the Minister of State to work with ONE and individuals in this and the other House to identify a mechanism whereby we can promote the fuchsia in an inclusive way so that people understand it is a symbol that has been adopted by ONE to remember those who have served. We should reflect on the role of our Defence Forces in the context of our democracy and society.

I am very taken by the comments made by Senator Mac Lochlainn and others. Over the years, everybody who has spoken on this legislation has put on the record of the Houses our concerns about the pay and terms and conditions of members of the Defence Forces. Far too many of our Defence Forces, both currently and in recent years, depend on subsidies from the State to make ends meet. It is a disgrace and it is something we need to reflect on seriously as a society. While we are talking about the legacy of the Defence Forces and how we remember and honour those who have served, the best way to honour our Defence Forces is to ensure that we recognise their right to make a decent week's pay for a decent week's work. They put their lives on the line in the defence of the State and in defence of peace across the world.