Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of the reasons for this Bill is that we have asked the Commission on the Defence Forces to do quite a lot of work on the future role of the Reserve Defence Force and the capacity issues relating to it. I wanted this legislation done by the time the commission makes its recommendations. The last thing I want is for the commission to make a recommendation for new roles for the Reserve and then for me to have to start the process of legislation that might take another year after that. We are getting the legislation out of the way first and then we are giving the commission the option to be able to make decisions. I hope the commission will be as ambitious as I am for the potential role of reservists at home and abroad. Once this legislation is enacted, we will no longer have a legal impediment in the context of our ability to implement future recommendations from the commission. Will it be possible to have reservists abroad and overseas next year? I believe that would be very ambitious but, legally, it would be possible. Of course, from a training and equipment point of view, and in the context of coherence and interoperability that would work for the Permanent Defence Force too, and that may take a bit of time.