Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement by the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Kehoe, that he intends to proceed with a programme of rolling recruitment throughout the year. Numbers in the Defence Forces are in decline, which is a serious situation, and the main reason is pay and conditions. In his speech yesterday, the Minister of State used a staggering euphemism in saying he recognised that pay and conditions in the Defence Forces were "challenging". It is the understatement of the millennium. Hopefully, he will be able to address this issue through the independent Public Service Pay Commission to ensure we have realistic numbers coming back into our Defence Forces.

I have been listening to some adverse remarks about the fact that so many of our Ministers, including the Taoiseach, are abroad this week. It was highlighted by the fact that some Ministers had to return from abroad to be at the Cabinet meeting, with the Taoiseach himself having to come back from the airport. I disagree completely with these negative remarks. It is of absolute importance that the Cabinet and as many as possible of our high profile politicians in government are engaging and meeting with our Irish abroad.