asked the Minister for Defence whether his attention has been drawn to a statement in the Press to the effect that in connection with his plans for a new Volunteer Force of 15,000 men, organisers are being appointed to divisional areas and that in particular Mr. Edward O'Brien, of Mitchelstown, has been appointed for this purpose in an area to be known as the Thomond Division and has in consequence resigned from membership of the Limerick County Council; and if he will state whether Mr. O'Brien has received such an appointment, and, if so, if he will state the statutory or other authority for the making of this appointment; the terms of the appointment; the duties attaching to it; and whether it has been a requirement of the Minister that Mr. O'Brien should resign from the county council; and if he will state whether any other and, if so, how many similar appointments have been made and the names of the persons so appointed and the areas to which they have been appointed.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Volunteer Force Organisers.
In pursuance of the powers conferred on the Executive Council under the Defence Forces Acts, preparations are being made to strengthen the defence forces of the country by recruitment of volunteers. Full details of the scheme will be given to the Dáil at an early date, when the necessary supplementary estimate is being introduced.
The Minister has not replied to my question. It has been stated very definitely in the Press that a certain appointment has been made. Will the Minister say if this appointment has been made and what the duties attaching to the position are? In other words, will the Minister answer the question on the Paper?
One of the powers conferred on the Executive Council is that of making appointments to commissioned ranks in the Army. When that is done it is published in Iris Oifigiúil.
The Minister will admit that his reply completely evades the question. He simply informs the House that the Government has power to appoint officers. Will the Minister tell the House if he is making the appointments I referred to at present; if so, how many; if he is recruiting a volunteer force of 15,000 men and, if so, under what provision of the Defence Forces Act he has power to carry out recruiting for this force?
The Deputy should know the provisions of the Defence Forces Act.
But the House does not know them.
Is it the intention to appoint recruiting officers for the various areas, and is this new force to be in substitution of the old forces in Cork known as the South Cork Militia and the North Cork Militia?
What are the age limits of these volunteers to be?
The Minister has given no information to the House. Will he tell the House whether, in fact, he is making appointments of the kind mentioned in the Press, and whether he is recruiting a force of 15,000 men? If he is not doing so, will he say whether he will make a statement to the House as to what he proposes doing before any action is taken in connection with this matter?
Will the Minister take this opportunity of assuring the House that the new force will not be recruited by political partisans on political-partisan lines?
That is a separate question.
The point of my question is: is the Minister taking action to build up a force of this kind without statutory or financial sanction? If he has, one or the other, will he make a statement to the House before the Government proceeds with the building up of this force and the making of appointments? I think that that is a very fair question and that the Minister should give the information to the House.
The House needs no assurance that we shall proceed according to the law. Fianna Fáil is in power, not the Deputy's Party.
Can we have an assurance that this will be the last army that will be established?
Next question.