Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleagues who expressed their sympathy with the people of Toronto. If the tragedy in Toronto has thought us nothing else it has thought us that a simple vehicle can now be used by those who wish to wreak mayhem within a community.

I also listened to the presentation by the hooded men today. My sympathy is with them and I congratulate the Tánaiste on meeting them. I hope there will be more than a meeting and that we see their case properly analysed.

Last week I called on the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Defence, An Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to come to this House to discuss the crisis in the Defence Forces. I have not got anywhere with that so far, therefore, I am renewing the call.

I have some statistics that may be of interest. Recruitment is not working. There has been a fall-off in applicants for the Defence Forces from 2013 to 2016 with 55% less now applying. Media coverage of the state of income and conditions in the Defence Forces has led to a serious fall-off in recruitment. A total of 2,831 left between 2013 and 2017, representing a total of 29.8% of the entire Defence Forces. Some 76% of those retiring were premature voluntary retirements and of that group 34% had fewer than five years service.

When military capacity is reduced or cannot be produced it can take months or even years to replace those who have been lost to the service. While that is true of specialists, such as explosive experts, marine engineers, cyber and IT staff, pilots, etc., it also applies to soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers who have acquired specific skills during the course of their service.

Between 2013 and 2017, 2,799 recruits or cadets were inducted. Of those who joined, 712 left, 576 left while in training and 31 cadets left while in training. That is an unbelievable number - people who had a clear career objective were forced to leave. Seven officers left with fewer than five years service.

The cost of training a recruit is €25,000 plus and the cost of training a cadet is €64,000 plus. The cost of the 503 who left in 2016 was €15.13 million to the Exchequer. Following the Lansdowne Road agreement, that rose to more than €20 million of a loss to the Exchequer of soldiers having left within five years of their service. We need An Taoiseach, the Minister for Defence, to come into this House to discuss these serious issues.

I have many more statistics which I will continue to release until such time as I get the response that is required. The Defence Forces are falling apart and we are standing idly by when we may very well be faced with a hard border in the not too distant future and we do not have the capacity to manage that hard border.