Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would never question the Leas-Chathaoirleach's impartiality. He is indeed a man of honour.

I frequently speak in the Chamber about our Defence Forces. Yesterday, I had the honour of visiting the Air Corps in Baldonnel. I met a wonderful group of people who are loyal servants of the State but I also saw how pathetically they are supported. We have eight traineeship aircraft in Baldonnel for training pilots. Six of them are on the ground and cannot be used. We have helicopters, a number of which are on the ground and cannot be used. The deficit of technicians in the Air Corps is more than 50%. The overall strength of the Air Corps is 26% below its establishment. I met apprentices in Baldonnel yesterday who are young men and women starting out on their degree programme. They are three-star privates because they must complete their three-star training before they can go on to start their apprenticeships properly. Yet, they are not paid a three-star private salary but an apprentice salary. That is unfair in every sense of the word. If they were in industry, we would be at the Workplace Relations Commission to put a comparator beside them, which would be that a three-star gets paid X and a three-star in the Air Corps is paid the same.It is wrong in every sense of the word and I ask the Deputy Leader to bring that through her party system to try to get some degree of equity for those people.

I heard something strange from one of the apprentices to whom I spoke yesterday, a young lady. I asked her if she was really worried about her income and she said "Yes", they are out in Baldonnell, a long way from anywhere, and having any sort of a life there is difficult. The cost of fuel is making it difficult and she can only go home every third weekend or something like that. I asked her what was her ask or what I could bring forward for her. She asked me to please bring forward the fact that her instructors are not paid an allowance. I could not understand how that is the case. The Deputy Leader wore the uniform and she is aware that there are allowances for instructors. I ask her to bring that matter forward as well.

I will have lots more to say about the Air Corps in the coming weeks, not least in respect of the grave error of this country in not including it right now in search and rescue services.