asked the Minister for Defence the number of active personnel in the FCA on the following dates: 31st December, 1968; 1st January, 1969; 31st December, 1969; 1st january, 1970; 31st December, 1970; and 1st January, 1971.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - FCA.
40.
Strength returns for An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil are compiled to show the number of personnel serving as on the last day of each month only and, accordingly, records do not show the number serving as on the 1st January in any year.
The following are the figures in respect of the effective strength of an Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil as on the last day of each month mentioned in the Deputy's question——
|
31st December, 1968 |
21,233 |
|
31st January, 1969 |
17,573 |
|
31st December, 1969 |
21,239 |
|
31st January, 1970 |
17,384 |
|
31st December, 1970 |
20,089 |
|
31st January, 1971 |
16,984 |
Could the Parliamentary Secretary say why there is such a great drop in the number of serving members of the FCA—over 4,000, on average over those three years—inside of one month?
The Deputy will agree that these figures vary considerably but there is a note here at the back of the file which states that at the beginning of each calendar year the personnel who have become non-effective in accordance with the terms of the relevant Defence Force Regulations are removed from the effective list and this accounts for the considerable decrease shown in the figures mentioned as between the 31st December and 31st January in each of the years. I do not know whether that is of any assistance to the Deputy.
With due respect to the Parliamentary Secretary's explanation, if the list is brought up to date on the first of the calendar year surely the figures I have requested should be available.
Apparently this is the way the figures are tabulated. I am sorry I cannot help the Deputy any further. I have given a pretty comprehensive reply.
Question No. 41.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary be in a position to outline any proposals or any investigations on the situation regarding the FCA?
The question is purely statistical and has nothing to do with policy.
I have explained pretty adequately to the Deputy what the position is. The Deputy is now asking for an inquiry. Is that not so?
No. I am asking the Parliamentary Secretary to look into this and see why we are losing almost 20 per cent of the personnel in the FCA?
That is a separate question.
Those figures are consistent. Those figures have been going up and down since 1968.
There is a fall out in the personnel in the FCA. It has been going up and down by 20 per cent.
This is the point I have been making.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary look into this?
Will Deputy Byrne please allow questions to continue?
41.
asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider making arrangements to permit members of the FCA when in uniform to have free travel on CIE transport when travelling to their collection places.
Defence Force regulations provide for the issue of free travelling warrants to members of An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil for the purpose of attending and returning from a course of training or instruction, an overnight camp, field day, test mobilisation or other official duty excluding Church, funeral, ceremonial or training parades.
It is not proposed to extend the existing free travel facilities for members of the FCA.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that some financial hardship is caused to some of the members of the FCA, particularly those in the student group, who are on limited pocket money, and who find it a bit of a hardship paying CIE fares to their points of collection? Would the Parliamentary Secretary look into this with a view to providing them with passes to travel on CIE vehicles whilst going to parades and routine training sessions?
The FCA are, in fact, provided with travel warrants.
The Parliamentary Secretary has outlined them but he also stated certain occasions when they will not get them.
They will not get them for funerals, ceremonial or training parades. I will certainly have the matter investigated but I think the answer I have given to the Deputy goes very far to meet what the Deputy is asking.
The Parliamentary Secretary may not be aware that a vast amount of travel involved by the FCA is to those training parades and the weekly processions they have. Would he look into the possibility of providing passes for them for those parades?
It is a fair point if what the Deputy says is true and it is unfair to penalise those people, particularly students, for giving their time to the service of their country. I will certainly have the matter investigated.
42.
asked the Minister for Defence the cost of providing nonmilitary transport for FCA units in the Eastern Command for the years 1968, 1969 and 1970; and what steps, if any, he will take to ensure that adequate military type transport is available to these units in the future.
The information sought by the Deputy in the first part of the question is readily available only in respect of the relevant financial years and is as follows:
|
1968-69 |
£1,970 |
|
1969-70 |
£2,497 |
|
1970-71 (up to 15/3/71) |
£4,363 |
Military transport requirements generally, including transport requirements of the FCA, are reviewed each year in connection with the preparation of the estimates for Defence and appropriate financial provision is made as considered necessary to meet these requirements with due regard to other demands on the overall amount of money available for Defence in each financial year. It would not be economic to maintain such a fleet of military vehicles as would cater for the entire needs of the FCA in connection with field days, tactical training, parades, security duties, et cetera, and it has always been the practice to supplement the military transport available for such requirements by hiring transport in certain cases.
The increase in the cost of transport hired in 1969-70 and 1970-71, as compared with 1968-69, is due in part to the increase in the unit cost of hired transport but it also reflects the increased demand on military transport because of greater military and FCA activity in those years.
The figure has more than doubled over two years but yet the number of FCA men has dropped to its lowest in four years. Is there an explanation for that?
That is a separate question.
Surely the logical answer to that is, whether it is a separate question or not, that more transport is being used and the cost is higher over a period of five or six years. The cost of hired transport in particular has increased considerably over this period.
Would it be possible for the Army to purchase a number of buses they could use.
It would be possible for them to do it but I am sure if a person works out the economics of this there would be arguments against it.
The cost seems to be increasing.
As I said, increased costs and so on have been taken into account in that figure.