asked the Minister for Defence by whom the new Army uniforms will be designed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Army Uniforms.
57.
As I indicated in my reply to the debate on the Estimate for Defence on the 27th January last, the new Army uniform has already been designed. The design was produced by a board of officers presided over by the Adjutant-General, with expert technical assistance.
Would the Minister specify or indicate the nature of the expert technical assistance in view of the tremendous importance of a smart uniform on the morale of the Army, and in view of the fact that Army designs up to now have, as the Minister told me, been evolved in his Department? I would be anxious to know that in this case the uniforms have been designed by people trained in that field. I should like to know who they are.
This is a military matter. I have inspected the uniforms myself and I am satisfied that the design is up to requirements and to the taste of military personnel.
With respect to the Minister's sartorial taste, I would suggest to him that he is not qualified. I am asking him for the names and the qualifications of the persons who provided the expert assistance to this board of officers.
This is a military matter and we must leave certain matters to the military authorities to decide upon. They provided suitable expert advice on the type of uniforms which matched the requirements and the taste of the military generally.
If we have regard to the history of design of uniforms in this country one cannot have confidence in the future designs.
I can assure the Deputy he will be delighted with the new uniforms.
I hope so.