Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus gabhaim buíochas leis as a bheith linn do na ráitis seo ar chúrsaí cosanta.

The Acting Chairperson is being very patient with the insubordination of Members today. Fair play to him. I will try my best to stay within my eight-minute limit.

The Minister knows that Sinn Féin has welcomed the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. We believe that the report gives long overdue consideration to the under-resourcing of the Defence Forces by successive Governments. It is absolutely critical that any reforms that are made to the Defence Forces are made within the parameters set by Ireland's long-held principle of neutrality. An important departure for this report, unlike previous reports of this nature, is the inclusion of real costs, the actual figures that would be involved in a real and meaningful reform of the Defence Forces.

The issues of retention and recruitment remain the key challenges facing the Defence Forces. The loss of experienced staff is also leading to increased risks, and this can be seen in reports of dangerous practices during live fire training and of training being cancelled. The current dysfunctional cycle of turnover in members is degrading and eroding the standard of the organisation.

We welcome and encourage any commitment to further training, cultural development and increased discipline. We agree with the report that there is a need for a cultural transformation within the Defence Forces. We also welcome plans for the appointment of a strategic HR change leadership team but this must be extended to encompass the culture within the Department of Defence. Cultural transformation requires the development of cultural architects, the individuals who act as the cultural influencers within any organisation. The fact that 35% of the Defence Forces now have less than five years' experience is an enormous challenge, as I know the Minister appreciates. The shortage of experienced officers has left a leadership vacuum, which is felt in training in a lack of adequate supervision. A culture cannot be moulded without the presence of cultural architects with the institutional knowledge to impart to cadets and recruits. In any organisation, the culture within an organisation is a living thing. It is primarily kept alive by example, tradition and a legacy of good practice learned and inherited, if you will. It requires cultural architects with knowledge and experience, the absence of which will leave space for the emergence of a toxic culture that results in a lack of dignity and respect for all members. Discipline can only be enforced by the presence of experienced officers and non-commissioned officers, NCOs. Training can only be supplied by talented, experienced, capable and responsible individuals. At present, there are limitations on training due to the lack of qualified supervisors. Any modern military organisation cannot rely on the good will and sacrifice of individuals within its ranks to ensure the development of professional Defence Forces.

We welcome the recommendation on the removal of the blanket exclusion of the Defence Forces from the working time directive. This needs to be enforced, as colleagues have said, and people need to be paid for the work they do. There needs to be a concerted effort to ensure that members of the Defence Forces get the recognition they merit from the roles they perform for the State. There is a role for the leadership of the Defence Forces. It is important that the Minister and his Department show to other Departments of the Government that the Defence Forces have a value and worth to them as well. The example of the response by the Government to the cyberattack on the HSE is a case in point. Little is known about the human cost of that attack. There is a failure by the State to patrol our waters. That is contributing to the ease with which drugs are imported. To protect our offshore wind energy infrastructure and to adequately patrol our fisheries, we are dependent on the EU to patrol our 12-mile radius.

There is nothing in the report regarding military accommodation. Houses on military installations are boarded up while members are placed on social housing lists. The closure of Cathal Brugha Barracks will require a massive relocation of current personnel. There is currently somewhere in the region of 500 people in the barracks on a regular basis.

Some of my colleagues have raised the issue of women members of the Defence Forces.While Sinn Féin welcomes the recommendation that more women be recruited, we believe the mere fact of adding numbers of women will not automatically result in greater levels of equality for women within the Defence Forces. To achieve true levels of equality or equity in the Defence Forces, women need access to and the opportunity to hold positions of genuine influence. This can be achieved only by structural change. This means women need access to decision-making, coupled with the resources to implement decisions. It is not enough to merely advocate gender equality. The will to achieve change must be backed with tangible proposals and the financial resources to implement them.

The roles of women in the Defence Forces must be expanded. The Defence Forces would benefit from having women at high levels with decision-making capacity. Women should not be stereotyped into non-combat roles. The Defence Forces could serve as an example to other countries in the peacekeeping context in accepting that women's role is not only that of support but also of combat. The recommendation to regenerate the Reserve Defence Force is welcome and applications to join the force must be speeded up and streamlined. The defence budget is big on capital but places little emphasis on troops. Most of the budget for 2023 will be used to cover back pay rises. This year, we are heading for the largest net loss since 2019, which in itself is deeply shocking. Indeed, it may even be worse. Year on year, the Reserve Defence Force is losing 600 to 800 personnel, which is a vote of no confidence in the policies of successive Governments, including the current one. This will adversely impact on the Minister's plan to recruit 400 personnel this year. While the Government places emphasis on capital funding, there is not much point in having new tanks and ships if there are no troops or naval personnel to staff them.

The budget ignores many of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces as they relate to pay. Many of the recommendations are still with the Department for discussion. These include recommendations on the introduction of the rank of lance corporal, long-service increments and seagoing allowances.

Senator Clonan raised two interesting points on future planning that really chimed with me. The issue of decolonising our Defence Force is one I had never really thought of, as someone who thinks. I champion decolonising across all aspects of our lives, be they political, social or economic. The military aspect is also important. In the context of the current work of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee considering future constitutional change, we must consider the impact this specific issue might have on defence and our Defence Forces. I am genuinely interested in hearing the Minister's response to the points raised by Senator Clonan.

This is a welcome report and its recommendations need to be speedily implemented to ensure the Defence Forces are ready to face the challenges of peacekeeping in these very dangerous times throughout various parts of the world.