Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. We are, of course, told that the Bill before us is largely a technical Bill to make amendments to the Defence Act 1954 and address ongoing issues with regard to the Defence Forces. In addition, following amendments on Report Stage in Dáil Éireann, the Bill includes a provision on the role of the Reserve Defence Force including, as has been mentioned by colleagues, the very welcome removal of the absolute prohibition currently contained within the Defence Act on members of the Reserve Defence Force serving overseas.

I take it as a signal, as the Minister said in his statement, that he will use the expertise and skills available in our Reserve Defence Force into the future. That was a very welcome comment among a number of welcome comments made by the Minister, to which I will refer as I go through my speech. We in the Labour Party will be supporting the changes sought by Government in this Bill, as we did in the Lower House.

I would also like to take the opportunity to address a number of issues with regard to our Defence Forces given the fact that the Minister is with us. One of the amendments before us is section 3, entitled Non-enlistment of minors, and section 16. The purpose of these amendments is to remove references in the Defence Act 1954 to the outdated reference to the enlistment of minors. Notwithstanding what my colleague, Senator Craughwell, said and given the undoubted problems that our Defence Forces are having in the recruitment of personnel, has consideration been given to increasing the enlistment age to our permanent and reserve defence forces? As the Minister will know, currently a person must be under the age of 25 on the closing date for application to apply for the Army and under the age of 27 on the closing date for the application to the Naval Service.We included this point in our submission to the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces. It has also been mentioned by others. Given the changes in the lifestyles and fitness of our population, will consideration be given to increasing the age limits for enlistment and, potentially, opening a career in the Defence Forces to those who may have started down a different path but who would now like to embark on a career in our Defence Forces?

Three words uttered by the Minister tonight were the most important he has said regarding the Women of Honour. I welcome that the Minister is here with us and that he met representatives of that group today. I also congratulate, as have some of my colleagues, Katie Hannon and RTÉ for publicising the issue in a programme. I am sure we all join in condemning the horrific treatment of the female members of our Defence Forces in the form of sexual harassment and bullying, the silence in that regard and the power of those who carried out that sexual harassment and bullying. We must ensure that this type of treatment is called out and stopped, as the Minister said. The culture, as the Minister also said, must change.

I welcome that the Minister has agreed to an independent inquiry. I received the Minister's press statement earlier, and I welcome that the experience of the women that the Minister spoke to today will be reflected in the terms of reference. That is important. I am sure that my colleagues will join me in welcoming that development. In this regard, I also ask that the terms of reference for the independent inquiry reflect input from the representative organisations, namely, PDFORRA and RACO. That is also important, because those organisations represent their members and their daily experience. It is mentioned in the Minister's press statement but I would like him to confirm that it is intended that representatives from those organisations will be included in the process. That would be welcome. It is no wonder that only 7% of the members of the Defence Forces are female when this culture exists. The Minister's comments tonight are important. Most important were these three words: "I believe them". We all look forward to the independent inquiry and what it will bring forward for those people who need it.

I am from Kildare, where we are all very proud of the Curragh Camp and the role it has played in the history of the Defence Forces. The Minister visited the camp during the past year. He will be aware of the dereliction to be found there and the urgent need for investment. As an aside, we were promised a new secondary school there more than two years ago. Recent correspondence with the Minister for Education has indicated that the site has still not been secured. Following his visit, the Minister will also be aware of the number of derelict homes in the camp. In replies to my Labour Party colleagues previously, the Minister stated that he has no direct responsibility for housing.

In the context of the current housing crisis, however, and I get calls every week from families struggling to find housing, the Government must invest in this area. Replying to a query last September from a colleague who represents the constituency, the Minister stated that, "There is too much dereliction in the Curragh, which needs to be resolved, but again, it cannot be done overnight". I agree that it cannot be done overnight, but we must start tackling this issue. The Minister continued by stating that, "A plan has been already put together for elements of the investment that is needed in the Curragh, but I am committed to a more comprehensive plan than that". I would appreciate if the Minister could update us on that plan for the Curragh.

The Minister will be aware of the ongoing problem, as my colleagues have mentioned, with recruitment and retention in our Defence Forces. I will raise several issues. The first concerns the PDFORRA medical assistance scheme, PMAS, which is a cross-border health initiative that has been given Government approval until the end of the year. This scheme has had a tremendous effect on retention in our Defence Forces. It has been mentioned previously by my colleagues here and in the Lower House. Will the Minister and his Government colleagues commit to extending that approval into the new year? As I understand the situation, the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Board has committed to continuing with this scheme until at least the middle of next year. Given the benefits that accrue to the personnel serving in our Defence Forces, I hope the Minister will agree to work with his Government colleagues to have this scheme extended.

Mention was also made of the post-1994 contracts, as they are called. The Department has a report on this matter, or at least that is what I have been told. I understand that approximately 700 serving personnel have contracts that may finish by the end of next year. I ask the Minister to comment on that aspect and to tell us what he intends to do in this regard, as my colleagues have also requested. We cannot afford to lose the experience of any of those 700 personnel who may wish to continue serving after December 2022.

I will also mention briefly the debate we had on Jadotville. In fairness, the Minister gave several commitments that night and he also said that he would come back to us once we had all read the report. He might comment on where he stands with those undertakings now. Several commemorative events were also meant to be in the planning stages and the Minister might also let us know how things stand in that regard.

I finish by recognising, as always, the continued and ongoing contribution of the personnel of the Defence Forces during the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, in their continued service overseas, an aspect mentioned by my colleagues, and the ongoing daily assistance they provide here at home. I reiterate that this Bill will have a transformative effect on our Reserve Defence Force. It will, I hope, allow our Defence Forces to tap into the qualities and skills of those who serve under the banner of the Reserve Defence Force. The Minister is aware that our Defence Forces need investment and certainty. This Bill will play a small part in doing that. We all hope that the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces will be transformative and will ensure that our Defence Forces will play their rightful part in the country's future. I thank the Minister for coming to the House and I look forward to his response.