Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. It has been a very robust debate so far this afternoon with many passionate contributions. I acknowledge the amount of work the Minister has done on this issue. There has been a major change in the Government's attitude and focus on this issue, in particular in the past 18 months. The past two months since the report was published have been very positive. The Minister referred in his opening statement to the engagement he had and the fact that he visited the majority of barracks to meet with the personnel. I also acknowledge that he met the reservists, who are an important part of the process. My contribution tonight will focus on the reservists and where they fit in to the jigsaw when it comes to the Defence Forces in Ireland.

The Minister will be aware that recommendation No. 79 relates to the intention or desire that reservists could have the opportunity to support the Permanent Defence Force in operations either in Ireland or overseas. It is a very worthy recommendation that is subject to further evaluation. There is an issue regarding how employment law would affect such participation by reservists. The Minister might comment on that and state how he believes an appropriate mechanism could be put in place to ensure that reservists will be secure in their permanent job, whatever it is, while taking up active duty assisting the Permanent Defence Force abroad or with a flooding issue. In many ways, the Reserve Defence Force has been a stepping stone to the Permanent Defence Force. Could the Minister clarify how he believes the process could operate in order that we could have an appropriate way forward and that the reservists can play the role they want to play?

Recommendation No. 76 is based on another principle of the report, which is about trying to make sure the application process to join the Reserve Defence Force is a speedy and fair one. The reports I hear relate to the inability of the Defence Forces at the moment to provide adequate medical assessment. My understanding is that applications on the website have been suspended since 27 July due to a lack of available personnel to carry out medical assessment. However, while reservists are not current being recruited, recruitment to the Permanent Defence Force is ongoing. That is an issue we must examine because we have a brain drain and we will lose good people who will go to other organisations such as the Civil Defence, the Coast Guard, the Red Cross, and the mountain rescue associations because the process to get into them is easier and faster. These people want to serve. They want to be a part of their community and society. Could the Minister elaborate on how we will deal with the issue because it is important that clarity is provided to people who want to step on the ladder and become reservists. The Reserve Defence Force will play a vital role going forward. I will do my best to support whatever mechanism the Minister brings forward to help it, but we must empower it to be part of the solution.