Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. From a Fianna Fáil perspective, as outlined by my colleague, Senator McGreehan, we are happy to support the required changes needed to be made to defence laws. Like many others, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to members of the Defence Forces for the work they do on behalf of the State. They do what they always do. They step up to the plate whenever it is required and Covid-19 was just another example of them doing just that. We are extremely proud of them. When many sectors are coming forward making a case for themselves, and in many cases rightly so, regarding what they did during the pandemic, I think we should not forget the members of the Defence Forces like we should not forget the many others that have been mentioned by my colleague, Senator Craughwell.

When there is talk about the Defence Forces it saddens me when I hear representatives of those men and women of the Defence Forces, whether that be PDFORRA or the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, talk about the low morale in the Defence Forces. It has been so for a number of years.They feel they are isolated and not being listened to. This has been going on for too long. I hope the Minister will be the Minister who finally listens but also acts on what needs to be done in our Defence Forces. The figures speak for themselves. We should have a force of 9,500, yet we have been struggling with around 8,500 members for some time. I hope the Minister will address that particular issue.

I welcome the Minister's comments on the Reserve Defence Force. It is important that RDF members see a pathway to a career in the Defence Forces. I look forward to this legislation acting as such a pathway for them. When reserves step up to the mainstream Defence Forces I hope they will see a long-term career and be able to support themselves and, as Senator McGreehan mentioned, their families because it is a family commitment. No one joins the Defence Forces to make money. They do so because service is a vocation and they are proud to serve their country. It is about time this country recognised the role members of the Defence Forces play and gave them proper recognition, both financially and in the conditions provided for the work they do.

I congratulate the Minister on meeting some of the women of honour this evening. I found their accounts harrowing, sickening and saddening. They showed courage in coming forward. By raising their voices about what happened to them, they more or less kissed goodbye to their careers in the Defence Forces. That is very sad. I hope the review will show, as Senator Craughwell observed, that only a limited number of people were involved in this sickening behaviour. Whoever they are, they need to be rooted out because they are sullying the good name of the Defence Forces. I look forward to that review taking place and I hope its recommendations will be acted on.