John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Defence if he has received representations from PDFORRA requesting that he contact his Portuguese counterpart to support the attempts to set up a representative association in the Portuguese army; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38124/05]

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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This issue was raised at the RACO biennial delegate conference last week and the Minister has also received correspondence from PDFORRA on the matter in the last few days. PDFORRA has also written to a number of public representatives outlining its concerns.

It should be emphasised that issues relating to the Portuguese armed forces are an internal matter for the Portuguese Government. I understand that Portuguese law provides for the right of association for the members of the armed forces although it also allows for restrictions upon that right. If asked by his Portuguese counterpart, the Minister would be happy to provide a briefing on the Irish system of representation and to emphasise the success of the Irish model.