asked the Minister for Defence why no extra payment or overtime is payable to Army personnel.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Army overtime.
20.
Defence Force personnel are paid allowances in respect of duty in Border areas and other duties of a security nature outside Border areas.
Will the Minister answer the second part of the question, whether overtime is paid to Army personnel for any duty, in any circumstances, at any time?
I am giving the Government's strong opinion on this matter, that Army duties do not lend themselves to overtime. It is not a part of Army life, which is to give a 24-hour service. If allowances are given to Army men for certain duties such as going to the Border from another part of the country, or for security duties or guard duties in other parts of the country, these are in the nature of ex gratia allowances, which is reasonable.
Special allowances are payable to officers and men where they are called upon to perform particularly onerous or exceptionally demanding duties. Since 1972, personnel engaged in Border areas involving general disturbances and extended hours of duty have been paid special allowances. The Border allowance was introduced in January, 1972, was increased from 1st November, 1973, and again from 1st November, 1974. The current rates are: married officers, £1.35 per day; single officers, £1.20 per day; married men, £1.15 per day; single men, £1.05 per day.
A security allowance was introduced in May, 1974, at the rate of £1 per officer or man in respect of security duties, only one payment being payable to any officer or man in any 24-hour period. The allowance was increased to £1.50 as from 1st November, 1974. The security duties include:
(i) Duties in relation to the rendering of aid to the Civil Power, for example, guards on vital installations, road check point duty, support in arrests, escorting civil prisoners;
(ii) Guards on military installations, fire pickets;
(iii) Barrack orderly officers and barrack orderly sergeants.
This allowance was introduced as a measure of compensation for the increase in the amount of duties and as many of the duties are over and above the normal peacetime pattern of military duties. Personnel on duty in the detention barracks, Curragh Training Camp, in which civilian prisoners are held are paid allowances as follows: Governor, £2.70 per day; Deputy Governor, £1.80 per day; other officers, £1.35 per day; men, £1.15 per day.
The following sums are included in the Defence Estimate for 1976 to meet the cost of the allowances: Border allowance, £633,000; Security allowance and Detention Barracks allowance, £470,000, total £1,103,000.
Is the Minister not aware of the similarity in the duties of Garda and Army personnel on Border duty and is this not showing up the Army in so far as their allowances are concerned?
This has not been my experience. So far as I know Army personnel are pleased with these allowances and are happy that they operate differently from the payment of overtime. Because personnel living in barracks undertake guard duty or checkpoint work, it would be difficult to work out a roster of overtime for them and, in any case, it would be wrong to have a system of overtime in the Army.
Can the Minister not realise the similarity that is developing as between the role of Army personnel along the Border and that of Garda personnel? In having regard to this similarity one must compare also the question of remuneration.
The roles of both Army and Garda personnel are similar to some extent in some cases but differ very much in others. For instance, the Army man has only the citizen's power of arrest while the Garda has very different powers of arrest. So far as I know all Army personnel on Border and security duty who are receiving these allowances are happy with them. It would be regrettable if a hare raised here by anyone would have the effect of making them unhappy.
Obviously, I would not be raising the matter if all the personnel concerned were satisfied.
In this life there is always somebody who is dissatisfied.
The remaining questions will appear on the Order Paper for Tuesday next.