Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for making himself available to take it.

I add my voice to the welcome given to the school group in the Visitors Gallery. It is lovely to see them in the place where democracy is at work and policy decisions are made. In the future, we may seem some of them sitting in this House and in the Dáil.

As a proud Kildare woman, I have always been a strong advocate for members of the Defence Forces. I live just a few miles from the iconic Curragh Camp barracks. As we know, the Curragh Camp is the main training centre for the Army and more than 2,000 personnel are based there. There are many military families in County Kildare, as there are in County Laois, the county the Minister of State hails from. Many retired personnel have made their home in County Kildare. I am acutely aware of the many difficulties and challenges facing people who serve in the Defence Forces. I have always used my position both here and in the Lower House to advocate strongly for the defence community. The call to serve one's country is something that cannot be matched. I regularly meet active and retired members of the Defence Forces as well as their representative bodies and I am always amazed by their sense of duty, their national pride and their commitment to this State and its people.

Óglaigh na hÉireann is a remarkable organisation that has deep roots in the fabric of this nation. We all know stories of its members' dedication. Many of us know and love members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, both past and present. In addition, for those of us who hail from south Kildare, our role and involvement in the defence community are something we hold very dear to our hearts. Many members of the Defence Forces serve our nation with distinction and are also very involved in the community.

People choose to enter the Defence Forces to serve this State and further the cause of the Irish people. They pledge their support for our nation and beyond. They put themselves in harm's way and do so in very difficult working conditions and at a huge personal cost and sacrifice to themselves, none more so than those who take part in UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Ireland has an unbroken record of service with UN peacekeeping missions since our first deployment in 1958. Currently, we are the sixth largest EU troop contributor to the UN. Our largest deployment with the UN peacekeeping mission is in Lebanon but we also have troops deployed in the Golan Heights, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our Defence Forces personnel do not just serve abroad but excel abroad. We rank way above our standing on the international stage due to the professionalism and dedication of our personnel.

Some months ago, I raised an issue faced by many service people when they return from active duty and seek a visa to enter the United States. This issue was raised with the US authorities by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish diplomats have been attempting to find a way to prevent the problem arising. This is a real issue. The status means that soldiers who have served in a number of countries have not been able to access the United States using normal ESTA - electronic system for travel authorization - regulations. I have been dealing with a number of these cases. I know of one member of the Defence Forces who eventually got a visa last week, weeks after his family got services and after a lot of heartache. When the family returns from their holiday the soldier will serve abroad for another six months, so the holiday is a precious time. We must find a way to support these people. They have served us abroad and put themselves in harm's. They should not be in any way disenfranchised as a result.