Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First and foremost, I wish to thank the Minister for the calm, cool way he has dealt with the coronavirus to date and the reassurance people get when they see him on TV. He has had, however, too many people compliment him today so I might as well join the Opposition. I refer to the Moorhead report. The Minister's councillors and foot soldiers had been expecting something in this budget. I sincerely hope that by the time we get to the Finance Bill there will be something there for them. They are the people out there on the ground doing the hard work to support this Government, their political parties and, more importantly, their communities.

I welcome the additional 600 gardaí and 500 civilian employees which will put the best part of 1,100 more gardaí on the street. That is to be welcomed. I also welcome the initiatives the Minister has taken in housing. They are of particular interest to me.

Today, however, I am more concerned about the Defence Forces than anything else. The Minister was at the launch of the high-level plan which is now months behind time and we do not really know where it is going. The current expenditure budget for 2021 is €14 million, of which, €10.5 million is already gone. That leaves €3.5 million to deal with allowances in the Defence Forces. The Minister cannot be unaware of the fact the Defence Forces is disintegrating as we speak and yet, at a time of crisis in this country, the Naval Service provided testing facilities in Dublin Port, Cork and Galway. The Army provided transport and erected of pop-up testing centres all over the country. The Air Corps provided mercy missions and flew Covid-19 tests to Germany for testing yet, as I said, the high-level plan is behind time. An opportunity was missed to compensate members of the officer cadet training wing who suspended their training to support the country during a testing period and, for all intents and purposes, have suspended or lengthened their period of training. No allowance was paid to them. They must be the only public servants in the country who did not get an allowance and that is unforgivable. Very soon, we could find ourselves needing the Defence Forces more than ever. If we get a hard Brexit we will, whether we like it or not, have to impose a border somewhere in this country. We may well have to close the Border because of the difference between the northern Executive and the southern Government with respect to the way in which the pandemic is being looked after. That is of extreme importance.

The dereliction or dilapidation of Army barracks and Army assets throughout the country is a matter of great concern. I am hopeful that the Minister for Finance will be able to bring the various Departments together to provide military housing, establish a third level institution in the Curragh, refurbish barracks and restore the parklands of which we are so proud. Some €137 million is going to search and rescue. I hope to see some initiative to bring the Air Corps back into search and rescue.Let us not privatise the search and rescue function, as it has been. A ten-year contract is a long time.

The Naval Service has two ships tied up. We have €2.23 billion worth of assets off the shores of this country and are facing drug and people trafficking but those waters cannot be patrolled unless the Naval Service is brought back to full power. I acknowledge the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, is doing a lot and that the Minister will assist him in any way he can but I needed to put those things on the record. I thank the Minister for any assistance he can give.

Finally, the Defence Forces should be the driving force behind cybersecurity in this country.