John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am very proud of my own late father's lifelong service in the Defence Forces. He joined in 1940. His brother-in-law, Séamus Connolly, received his commission from Douglas Hyde. I am glad to say he is still to the good and I am looking forward to welcoming him here to the Houses in the coming weeks. My own brother Jim has also served with the Defence Forces. I have a tradition of understanding Army men from the times about which I am talking. We are making these statements on International Workers' Day. Members of our Defence Forces are workers as well as having a very particular and critical area of work. I want to note that it is unacceptable that members of the Defence Forces are still being provided with inadequate conditions of pay with which to support themselves and their families. It is important and urgent that this be dealt with and that we invest in the welfare of members of our Defence Forces and their families. There are many countries around the world with very high military spending but in which members of the Defence Forces themselves still have very low pay and conditions. We have a peacekeeping Army and Defence Forces and we can justifiably be extremely proud of that tradition. We can also be proud of their support for the civilian authorities through every decade.

I will ask the Minister of State one question now and I will have a few more later. I would be grateful if the Minister of State were to tell us whether the implementation for permanent structured co-operation, PESCO, will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas and when we can expect that. There are real issues and tensions in respect of our traditional stance of neutrality, collective EU responsibilities and solidarity in a world which is becoming more sharply and violently divided. That is almost putting it mildly.

The Defence Forces are one of the true success stories in this democracy of ours. They have served with honour and pride both at home and overseas since the foundation of the State. Their loyalty to his State at all times has been a testament to how an armed force can support a government and, more important, its people. Our Defence Forces mix easily in Irish communities and are very much part of them. To echo a point made by Senator Colm Burke and others, they mix and relate equally well with the people they support all over the world in their peacekeeping duties.

In recent times the Defence Forces have struggled, to put it mildly, to recruit and retain personnel. Surely with the right incentives and some creativity this issue can be overcome. We have to overcome it. It is particularly concerning that the organisation continually loses key technical staff which it then seems unable to replace. We need to invest in our Defence Forces now. They are excellent value for money compared to any defence force around the world.

There may be opportunity on the horizon for our Defence Forces, especially in the context of the EU. Those opportunities can be availed of in keeping with our neutral stance. It is vitally important that a lack of investment at this time does not deny our Defence Forces access to opportunities which can maximise their potential; more importantly their potential as a critical asset to Ireland; and our nation's potential in respect of any ongoing and future developments at EU level.They play an ambassadorial role and enhance our reputation in a practical way among ordinary people around the world. Ireland has participated on the world stage through the UN but it is important to remember that Ireland has also participated in EU-sponsored peacekeeping missions.

I attended a dinner ten years ago to commemorate men who fought and fell in the First World War as well as members of our Defence Forces who had died, mainly on UN duty. I was sitting beside a youngish woman and I asked her what was her interest or involvement. She replied that she had lost a son abroad with the Army a few years previously. I commiserated with her and said that I was sure it was a comfort to her to know that he died trying to bring peace to people. She cut me dead with her response, saying, "No, I lost my son". I relate that story because at the sharp end of what our Defence Forces do is the possibility of losing life in the service of others and it is daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and partners who are affected as well and not only the soldiers.

In summer 1940, our Army stood between two invasion threats, the most sinister of them being the Nazi threat. However, there was also the threat that the UK would invade us to protect its interests. Many Irishmen stayed to defend us to the hilt. Our defensive capacity was exquisitely displayed in Jadotville, the Congo, in the early 1960s. Men remained in their posts against excessive odds but because of their training, esprits de corpsand morale and luck, nobody was killed. They demonstrated what our troops can do. They routinely support us during adverse weather events and other emergencies in conjunction with the civilian authorities. Our armed forces continue to excel and are ambassadors on our behalf. Our navy in the Mediterranean Sea deploys military and technical skills and displays sheer humanity to support families in difficult circumstances.

As the saying goes, "You'll never miss your mother until she's gone". That is the issue with investment. The Minister of State has to invest now. When I was trying to cram for an exam the night before instead of months before, my Dad used to say, "Jack, it is too late to sharpen your sword when the drum beats for battle". The Government cannot only invest in the Defence Forces when an emergency happens; it should invest in them now. They are a critical backstop and, therefore, the Government needs to get on with that.

Is the Minister of State happy and content with the rate of staff turnover? He stated:

The success of Government policies is clearly evident in the economy which is continuing to grow strongly. This is providing far more job opportunities than we have seen in recent years.

It could be viewed as an excuse that the reason the Defence Fores cannot retain people is we have near full employment. We want full employment but it should be our normal ambition to retain fully deployed Defence Forces in such circumstances.