I beg to move:—"That this Bill be now read a second time." In doing so, I should say that I shall find it necessary to either withdraw, or modify an undertaking given by General Mulcahy last year that men would not be recruited for a longer period than two years, with one-and-a-half in the Reserve, or one-and-a-half years, and two years in the Reserve. I have not the exact figures, but I anticipate having them before the Second Reading Stage is completed.
It is proposed to recruit something like 50 per cent. for two years service, and from recollection I would say that the other figures run in the form of 10 per cent. for 12 years service, and 15 per cent. for 7 years service; 15 per cent. for 5 years service; and 10 per cent. for 3 years service, but at any rate, as far as the twelve years service is concerned, I think I am right in saying that it was 10 per cent., and in the case of two years service, it was 50 per cent.
Now, the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923, under which the Defence Forces are at present maintained and disciplined, will expire on the 2nd August next, and it is necessary to obtain fresh statutory authority from the Oireachtas. It had been intended to introduce, early this year, a Bill dealing with the Defence Forces on a more permanent basis, but this was not possible.
This Bill proposes first to continue in force the Act of 1923 until the 31st of March, 1925. It does not follow that the Act of 1923 will continue in operation until that date, because it is intended that the Bill which will be introduced in the autumn will be put into operation as soon as it becomes law. This Bill seeks to effect in last year's Act certain amendments: (1) There is the introduction of an oath of fidelity for officers, and a change in the form of the oath prescribed for soldiers; (2) power to reduce an officer or a non-commissioned officer (3) changes in the disciplinary provisions in reference to the following matters, including (a) powers of Provost Marshal and Military Police; (b) the introduction of an accused's right to elect to be tried by court-martial in certain cases instead of having his case dealt with summarily; (c) changes in procedure on the investigation and summary disposition of charges; (d) provisions with regard to jurisdiction of courts-martial not being ousted by non-compliance with provisions as regards preliminary investigation; (e) power to order accused for trial by court-martial in certain cases without previous investigation as prescribed by the Act; (4) changes as regards forfeitures and deductions from pay of officers and soldiers; (5) change in reference to the transfer of a soldier from one corps to another.
The Bill enables the Minister to reduce an officer who fails to pass his necessary qualifying examination for the rank to which he was gazetted for a commission to the next highest rank for which he is qualified. And it also enables the Minister to reduce a non-commissioned officer to a lower non-commissioned rank or to the ranks. At present there is no power of dealing with cases of that sort, except to dispense with the services of that non-commissioned officer who might be a well-conducted man. There were also some verbal amendments in the Bill. The term "constable" is, I think, employed under the present Act, and it is proposed to substitute the more correct terminology, that is Gárda Síochána, for that of Civic Guard. It is also proposed to substitute the expression "military defence forces" for the expression "armed forces." Armed forces would include the Army Medical Corps, and I think it would not be contended that that was an armed force. Power is also given to employ civilians and prescribe the term of their employment. This is principally to regulate the position of nursing sisters who are employed in military hospitals and who are neither officers nor soldiers. I formally move that the Bill be now read a Second time.