Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is necessary to go back to the parent Act that established the representative association. It did not envisage ten associations or splinter groups. It did not envisage that at all. There is a structure for representing the interests of members. That is through the representative association and invariably there are internal consultation processes that RACO and PDFORRA conduct. They get their feedback and they advocate. They advocate very extensively, by the way, in conciliation and arbitration, for example. I know, because the files come in to me regularly in respect of individual cases. They take legal actions on behalf of members. It has evolved to be quite an effective representational function actually, to be fair. It is ordered, structured and effective. In that context, what we are now doing is we are actually progressing that even further by facilitating associational membership with ICTU.

However, the broader story of an apolitical Defence Force is important. Most people agree with that. That is the context of this. There was no real pressure to fundamentally alter the existing structures. This is the current position.