Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Section 321(3) states, "The External Oversight Body shall be independent in the performance of its functions." The Labour Party has a problem, as pointed out to the Minister in the Dáil, with the Secretary General, whoever that may be at the time, being an ex officio member of this external oversight body. The simple reason for our objection is we are looking for an independent oversight body for the issues being discussed daily in the media throughout this State in respect of the Defence Forces and what we need to do for the future of the Defence Forces. If the Secretary General is involved with the terms of reference, I cannot see how that person, whoever he or she may be, can be a member of a body which will have oversight of what is going on. That issue was brought up, as was said, by every Member in this House on Second Stage. It was brought up, from what I saw, by many people in the Dáil debate as well. It questions the independence. I am not questioning the Secretary General in any way but I question the independence of a body set up to look at issues including recruitment of members of the Defence Forces, induction training and management of the human resources of the Defence Forces. How can the Secretary General of the day be part of that board when he or she set up the terms of reference and deals with queries when they come through that board? It is wrong. It does not portray any sort of independence, which the external oversight body should have. I agree with Senator Craughwell. I stated on Second Stage that there were plausible demands for representatives of RACO and PDFORRA to be part of the external oversight body. If the Minister is going to go ahead with the Secretary General as part of that, those representative bodies need to be part of it too. If it is to be an independent body, I agree with Senator Craughwell that representative associations should not be there and neither should the Secretary General.

The other question concerns section 323(7), which provides, "The person appointed ... as chairperson of the External Oversight Body shall not have served as a member of the Defence Forces ...". I find that incredible, given what is going on with recruitment and retention. That is the most important job. That person should know exactly what goes on in the Defence Forces, the demands of the Defence Forces and should have the experience needed to ensure our Defence Forces, of which we have all rightly said we are proud, have a future and not what is happening at the moment, with the reductions that have happened in recent years.