Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to my colleague Senator Chambers for the work she has done and I wish her well with the launch today. I hope to be there at some stage. It is good news from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence about the extra spending in defence over the next number of years. One of the most important things is to ensure pay and conditions are looked after. Military equipment is important but the men and women are number one. I pay tribute to Senator Chambers because when we were in opposition we did a huge amount of work on this. I am not taking from Senator Buttimer's comments. We did a huge amount of work on this, led by Senator Chambers and her namesake, Deputy Jack Chambers, who was spokesman as well as Senator Chambers, then Deputy Lisa Chambers, at that time. It is important that we give credit to every side in this matter. I reiterate that the men and women of the Defence Forces, who have been neglected so badly for so many years, must be the number one priority in this review and this extra expenditure.