Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today I raise the current crisis within the Defence Forces. Yesterday, I listened to Mr. Gerard Guinan, general secretary of PDFORRA, outline the extent of this crisis at the PDFORRA annual conference in Castlebar, County Mayo. He spoke of how the Minister of State had given a strong commitment to PDFORRA that the strength of the Defence Forces would not fall below the level of 9,500. I am disappointed to say that this commitment has fallen 600 short such that the current strength of the Defence Forces is 8,900. Members are walking away from the Defence Forces in droves. This year, 173 of them paid a large amount of money to walk away from the Defence Forces. In 2017, over 700 people left the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are in crisis. PDFORRA recognises this crisis and the wives and partners of Defence Forces members recognise it is a crisis but, unfortunately, the Minister of State and the Government refuse to accept it. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange for the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, to come to the House for a discussion on this important issue.

Yesterday, two reports on the North-South interconnector were published, one of which examined the technical feasibility of undergrounding the cables while the other examined compensation levels for those affected. I am not surprised at the outcome as I have spoken in this House on several occasions about the credibility of these two reports. As far as the three affected counties - Monaghan, Cavan and Meath - are concerned the credibility of EirGrid and the Department on this issue is in tatters. I call on the four Ministers currently living within those three counties to listen to what the local people are saying. As far as they are concerned, there will be no pylons built on their lands. I plead with the Ministers concerned to listen to the people and to bring their views back to their Cabinet colleagues.