I move:
That a sum not exceeding £100,201,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1978, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Defence, including certain services administered by that Office; for the pay and expenses of the Defence Forces; and for payment of certain grants-in-aid.
The Estimate for Defence for the financial year 1978 is a sum of £100,201,000 of which the sum of £72,229,000 is provided for pay and allowances. By way of comparison, the original net estimate for the financial year 1977 was £85,223,000 which was increased to £87,386,000 by reason of a transfer of £2,163,000 from the Vote for Remuneration to meet the cost of pay increases during 1977. The Estimate is, in effect, £12,815,000 more than the provision for last year. Of this sum, increased pay and allowances and increased army strengths account for £7,278,000 and the balance of £5,537,000 is attributable mainly to increased provisions for stores and equipment and increased prices.
The Estimate provides for an average strength of 1,450 officers, 113 cadets and 13,500 men, that is a total of 15,063, in the Permanent Defence Force. At the end of December last the strength figure was slightly over 14,700. I am glad to say that the health of the troops is good, discipline is satisfactory and morale is high. To all components of the Defence Forces —the Regulars, the Army Nursing Service, and the Reserve—I am very glad to pay tribute for the excellent manner in which they carried out their duties. They have the gratitude and appreciation of the Government and, I feel sure, of the House and of the community generally.
The terms of the 1977 National Agreement have been applied to the pay of all ranks and the current rates for men range from £51.71 a week for a recruit to £88.43 a week for a Sergeant-Major. The pay of single and married officers was fully equalised during 1977 in line with similar adjustments elsewhere in the Public Service. Single men's pay was consolidated last year and they now receive the same rates of pay as their married counter-parts, deductions being made from the single men living in barracks, in respect of food and accommodation. Children's allowances were increased for all ranks in 1977 and now stand at £55 a year for each eligible child. Allowances are paid to all personnel for Border duty and special security duties outside the Border area.
Proposals in regard to the reorganisation of the Defence Forces have been under examination for some time past. Arising from this examination the military command areas were re-drawn in 1977 so as to provide for a new Curragh Command, comprising the former Curragh Training Camp and the southern area of the former Eastern Command. The remaining proposals for reorganisation are at an advanced stage in my Department. Urgent consideration in this regard is being given to the position of the Air Corps and Naval Service because of their commitments to patrol the much enlarged maritime area resulting from the extension of the fishery limits.
The question of establishing a Women's Service Corps as part of the Defence Forces is under active consideration. It is likely that I will be introducing an amending Defence Bill on this subject in the near future.
No effort is being spared to improve the general levels of education and technical training in the Defence Forces. A total of 124 cadets and officers are pursuing full-time degree courses at University College, Galway. Members of the Permanent Defence Force who attend third level courses of education in their own time are refunded the tuition and examination fees involved. Non-commissioned officers and privates who undergo courses leading to the Department of Education day group certificate examination are refunded the cost of books and examination fees. A scheme also exists whereby personnel are registered with AnCO as apprentices in various trades such as fitter, motor mechanic, sheet metal worker, brick-layer, plasterer and painter-decorater. These personnel attend either full-time off-the-job training courses or day release courses. I am at present examining other schemes with a view to providing additional educational opportunities for non-commissioned officers and privates.
In order to ensure that the Defence Forces are kept abreast of modern military developments in techniques and equipment, members of the Permanent Defence Force are assigned to courses in other countries. During 1977 courses were attended in Britain, Germany, France and the United States and it is proposed that further such courses will be attended in the current year.
Forty-eight cadets were appointed from competitions held during 1977 for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. There are at present 115 cadets in training, about 60 of whom are expected to be commissioned later in the year; 96 apprenticeships in the Army and Air Corps were awarded during 1977.
Games and physical training have a special place in Army life. Sports competitions are held at Unit and Command level and, where possible, matches are arranged with representative sides such as the Garda, universities, and others. As an indication of the importance which I attach to sports and athletics I have included a provision of £40,000 under subhead 01 for the purchase of sports equipment. A sum of £20,000 is included under subhead DD in respect of the acquisition of lands and premises specifically for sporting purposes.
An Army team took part in an international orienteering competition in Switzerland in 1977. It is expected that Army teams will participate in further competitions during 1978 organised by CISM, the International Military Sports Council. It is also proposed that the CISM cross-country championships should be held in this country in 1979.
All-Army gymnastic competitions are held annually and adventure training clubs have been established in each Command. Adventure training includes activities such as sub-aqua swimming, mountaineering, boating, sailing and canoeing. Swimming baths are hired regularly and swimming instruction is included in the recruit training syllabus.
A provision of £175,000 has been made for the Equitation School (subhead N) including £100,000 for the purchase of horses. Last year eight horses were purchased at a cost of £98,400. During 1977 Army riders and horses competed in international shows at Dublin, Chepstow, Erkrath (Germany), Vienna. Rotterdam, Ostende, Hickstead, Aachen, Le Baule, Wembley, Munich and Waldeck and in an international three day event at Wylye. Our riders obtained 17 first places at the various shows including the winning of the Nations' Cup at Dublin and Rotterdam. In addition, 48 horse shows, gymkanas and three day events were attended at home. The total prize money won in 1977 was about £16,000.
The helicopter service, as well as playing an important role in security operations, has provided its customary rescue, ambulance and other services. In search and rescue 28 missions were flown last year as a result of which nine lives were directly saved. Ninety-six ambulance missions were completed. A major activity of the Defence Forces during 1977 involved the provision of assistance to the Garda Síochána. The prime duty of a democratically elected Government is to ensure that the people of the State can go about their legitimate business in safety. The Government are resolved to take all necessary measures to discharge this duty.
The extent to which the Army were involved in security duties during 1977 may be gleaned from the following statistics: (a) About 5,700 military parties were supplied for checkpoint duties and they helped gardaí to set up over 10,700 joint Garda-Army checkpoints; (b) More than 13,300 patrols were sent out into the road network along the Border. These patrols are equipped with radio and can be directed to the scene of a Border incident by radio; (c) Escorts for explosives and blasting operations were provided on about 1,200 occasions; (d) About 300 requests for bomb disposal teams were handled during the year. In addition, a number of vital non-military installations are under permanent military guard and others are protected by military patrols.
The Army also provide guards and escorts for civilian prisoners and help in searches for arms, ammunition and explosives. These duties impose heavy demands on the Permanent Forces and I would like to take this opportunity of acknowledging the assistance available from An Fóras Cosanta Áitiúil an An Slua Muirí in meeting these demands. I am sure Deputies will join with me in expressing appreciation of the efforts of the members of these forces. Their unselfish giving up of their free time to serve their country is a first class example to our youth and I would urge as many young men as possible to join An Fórsa or An Slua.
The increased level of expenditure on stores and equipment in the past few years has strengthened the capability of the Defence Forces. Further substantial purchases are provided for in the present Estimate. The gross sum included in the Estimate for items other than pay and allowances is £30,859,000, that is, an increase of £7,664,000 on the provision for 1977. The increases arise mainly under the following subheads: subhead J, Defensive Equipment (£1.807 million); subhead J, Mechanical Transport (£0.500 million); subhead K, Provisions (£0.573 million); subhead 01, General Stores (£1.577 million); subhead 02, Helicopters (£0.360 million); subhead P, Naval Stores (£0.575 million); and subhead S, Buildings (£0.850 million).
The provision of £2,887,000 under Appropriations-in-Aid shows an increase of £2,127,000 as compared with 1977 due mainly to increased receipts in respect of rations and accommodation arising from the consolidation of single men's pay.
The defensive equipment which is being provided for this year includes five armoured personnel carriers which are being manufactured by Adtec Teoranta, Gibbstown, County Meath. I am particularly happy about this breakthrough for home industry and its consequent effect on the maintenance of employment.
Also included under this heading is a provision of £200,000 as a down payment on four tanks. Deputies will appreciate that it is essential that the Army be familiar with and, as far as possible, be provided with modern weapons. The purchase of the tanks, as proposed will ensure that knowledge and skill in the uses of up-to-date tracked armoured vehicles can be developed among Army personnel. They will also, of course, provide an added operational capability. Last year ten new trainer aircraft were delivered to the Air Corps. A programme to improve aerodrome facilities is under way and provision is included for the continuation of a scheme which will provide more modern navigational facilities at Casement Aerodrome.
In the past year the Naval Service has been called on to perform a much more positive and vigorous role in its special task of fishery protection, a task made all the more difficult because of the greatly expanded area to be patrolled as a result of the introduction of a 200-mile fishery limit. Immediate back-up surveillance was provided by the Air Corps by means of an aircraft specially chartered for this purpose.
I have given much thought to the needs of both the Naval Service and the Air Corps in the context of their increased duties. A second all-weather fishery protection vessel was brought into commission in January this year and I have arranged for the construction by Verolme Cork Dockyard Ltd. of a third vessel of similar design which I anticipate will be delivered by mid-1979. I am pleased to say this order was of significant help in the maintenance of employment at Verolme. The short term measures taken last year, that is the chartering of a ship and an aircraft, will of course be continued this year to augment existing resources.
I would regard the third vessel contracted for as another phase of an expansion programme which would provide a total of eight specially designed protection vessels. By that stage I expect the three minesweepers will have been withdrawn from patrol duties. It is also proposed to expand the Air Corps capability for air surveillance by the acquisition over the same period of aircraft suitably equipped for this purpose. An additional sum of over £2 million is being provided in the Estimates this year further to expand our fishery protection capability. The net allocation this year for building and maintenance works is £2.850 million. This represents a substantial increase on last year's net provision of £2 million and will enable a valuable contribution to be made towards the Government's job-creation programme.
Many works to improve standards of accommodation and facilities for the Defence Forces both at work and when off-duty were carried out last year. These included the completion of six new men's billets, each with recreational space, and an aircraft landing strip at Finner Camp, County Donegal, a new system built apprentice school at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, alterations and improvements to the NCOs and officers' messes at McKee Barracks, Dublin, and the continuation of a programme to improve standards in men's billets in Collins Barracks, Cork.
Some of the more significant works in progress at present include the construction of 50 houses for married soldiers at the Curragh Camp, County Kildare, an apprentices' canteen at Devoy Barracks, Naas, new billets at Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, the provision of two squash courts at the naval base, Haulbowline, the second stage of a programme of major building works at Dundalk Barracks, and works at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, to repair runways and hangars and replace existing water mains.
Among the works planned to commence during 1978 are provision of new married quarters at McGee Barracks, Kildare, and Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin, further billets and a sports centre at Finner Camp, a new dininghall and cookhouse for MacDonagh and Pearse Barracks, Curragh, a new billet block at Dún Uí Mhaoiliosa, Galway, the provision of central heating for Collins Barracks, Dublin, the provision of two billet blocks, new sewerage system and a central heating boiler house at Gormanston Camp, the third stage of the development programme at Dundalk Barracks including the building of a three storey men's billet block and a new cookhouse and dininghall, the provision of central heating for men's billets at Collins Barracks, Cork, and the building of a further billet at Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy. It is also planned to provide houses for married soldiers stationed at Dún Uí Mhaoiliosa, Galway. There is no suitable housing site on State lands at the barracks, but the Department are exploring the possibility of obtaining serviced sites from the Galway Country Manager on local authority lands at Ballybaan.
In addition, the building of a new billet block at the Curragh Camp, for the Women's Service Corps is under active consideration. Plans for the reconstruction of Ceannt Barracks, Curragh, and the provision of workshops to improve the facilities available in each command for vehicle maintenance are currently being formulated I take this opportunity to acknowledge the co-operation shown by various local authorities in allocating houses to serving soldiers.
In subhead G. of the Defence Estimate provision for a net sum of £504,000 for Civil Defence. The amount voted last year was £401,000. Civil Defence is an inescapable obligation in the context of overall national defence. The importance the Government attach to it was emphasised recently by the appointment of a Minister of State at the Department of Defence and the delegation to him of the sole responsibility, in the defence area, for Civil Defence.
The Civil Defence organisation, made up as it is of volunteer personnel, deserves every encouragement and I am glad to acknowledge here the contribution made by the local authorities in its development and organisation. Country managers recently attended a seminar on Civil Defence which was held at the Civil Defence school in the Phoenix Park. From the proceedings there I am happy to say that it is clear that we can continue to rely on their wholehearted co-operation in the future development of the service.
£388,000 of the sum provided is accounted for by the cost of grants to local authorities at the rate of 70 per cent of their outlay on Civil Defence functional administration, on the recruitment and training of volunteers and on the storage, servicing and maintenance of equipment and so on. The subhead also provides for the purchase of new Civil Defence uniforms and equipment and for the replacement of existing equipment. The co-operation of the Irish Red Cross Society, the Order of Malta and the St. John's Ambulance Brigade with the Civil Defence organisation has continued to be most effective and I am grateful to those societies for their contribution.
The sail training vessel Creidne will again carry out a full programme of sail training cruises this year and about 300 boys and girls will have the worth-while experience of a cruise on the vessel. In May Creidne will be participating in an international rally of sail training vessels in Scotland and in August the vessel will be taking part in the big event of this year's season— an international race from Yarmouth to Oslo Fjord which will be followed by a parade of sail of tall ships from Horten in the Oslo Fjord to Oslo. These international events will provide the young people on Creidne with an opportunity of competing against and mixing with their contemporaries on sail training vessels from other countries.
My Department recently entered into a contract with John Tyrrell and Sons Ltd. to have the proposed new sail training vessel built by the company. I understand that building will commence about April and will be completed in 1980. It has been decided that the vessel will be named Asgard II. Rigged as a brigantine, it will be a fine vessel of timber hull and masts, measuring 84 feet in length overall and 21 feet in beam with a draft of 9½ feet. Capable of carrying a complement of 25 persons, Asgard II will add a new dimension to sail training in this country and will be a vessel of which we can all be very proud, particularly when she represents us at international sail training events abroad.
The question of arranging for the future of the historic yacht, Asgard, which is no longer seaworthy, is under active consideration in my Department. A number of possibilities are being examined and a decision will be made shortly.
Mar is eol do Theachtaí, bunaíodh an Chéad Chathlán atá ag cur fúthu i mBeairic na Rinne Móire, Gaillimh, mar aonad a labhraíonn Gaeilge i gcoitinne. Úsáidtear ouid mhaith Gaeilge faoi láthair í ngníomhaíochtaí an Airm ó lá go lá ach ba mhaith liom í a fheiceáil á húsáid níos minicí. F aoi láthair tá moltaí faoi mo bhráid chun tuilleadh cainteoirí dúchais a thógáil sa Chéad Chathlán agus chun na críche sin tá mo Roinn chun feachtas earcaíochta a thosú go gairid a bheidh dírithe go príomha ar na nuachtáin áitiúla agus ar Radio na Gaeltachta. Tá moltaí faoi mo bhráid freisin chun úsáid na Gaeilge a spreagadh ar fud an Airm fré chéile.
I would like to mention that personnel of the Permanent Defence Force continue to serve abroad with United Nations peace-keeping missions. Twenty officers are attached as observers to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation in the Middle East. A further officer is serving in the post of senior staff officer in that organisation. One officer and four non-commissioned officers continue to serve in staff appointments with the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus. In addition, as Deputies are aware, Major-General James Quinn of the Permanent Defence Force fills the top appointment of Commander of the United Nations Force in Cyprus.
As regards the recoupment of expenses the position in regard to participation in the Cyprus force is that claims to the total value of about £4.600 million have been made and payments totalling £3.700 million have been received. This leaves a sum of £900,000 outstanding. I should perhaps, mention that during the financial year 1977 payments totalling over £50,000 were received.
Under the special financial arrangements governing the United Nations Emergency Force in the Middle East, with which Irish Defence Forces contingents served from October 1973 to May 1974, a sum of slightly over £500,000 has been received covering pay, allowances and personal equipment. Claims in respect of contingent stores and equipment have been presented and are the subject of discussions with the United Nations authorities. A satisfactory outcome is expected.
The Army Pensions Estimate, which is also before the House, is for a net sum of £14,282,000. The corresponding figure for last year—including a supplementary Estimate of £250,000—was £13,270,000. This represents a net increase of £1,012,000. Included in the Estimate is a sum of £264,000 to meet the cost of the increase in pensions and allowances which will take effect from the 1 July 1978, in accordance with the principle of maintaining parity in public service pensions.
The main increases in the Estimate as compared with last year are £149,000 for wound and disability pensions in subhead B, £182,000 in subhead C, allowances and gratuities to dependants, and £1,492,000 for new pensions and gratuities in subhead E for members of the Permanent Defence Force. Subhead E provides also for payment of the pensions under the new contributory and ex-gratia scheme for the widows and children of soldiers.
Subhead M—Free Travel, Free Electricity and Television Licences— shows an increase of £99,000, due mainly to the increased cost of bus and rail fares which came into effect last year.
These increases are offset by a reduction of £153,000 in subhead H, a decrease of £72,000 in subhead D and an estimated increase of £718,857 in Appropriations-in-Aid. The additional Appropriations-in-Aid represent the contributions to the new pension scheme for the widows and children of soldiers which will be payable by members of the scheme by means of deductions from pay and gratuity.
Deputies may be interested to know that under subhead C provision is made for 4,300 widows of military service pensioners who receive allowances equal to one-half of their deceased husbands' pensions, calculated by reference to current rates and subject to a minimum of £138.12 a year The average rate of allowance is £205 a year.
In subhead H the number of special allowances payable to veterans of the War of Independence continues to show a downward trend. Regrettably the number of deaths is in excess of new awards. There are at present 7,600 on pay and the average rate of allowance works out at £291 a year.
As Deputies are aware from the budget statement of the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, the following additional concessions will be provided from July 1978, in the case of veteran of the War of Independence: (a) ex tension of free travel to the spouses o veterans in their own right; (b) an increase in the funeral grant from £50 to £100; (c) telephone rental subsidy scheme on the same conditions a apply to old age pensioners.
Towards the end of last year I in troduced new pension schemes—con tributory and ex-gratia—for the widow and children of deceased soldiers Membership of the contributor scheme is optional for all soldiers who were seving at any time between 1 June 1977 and 31 January 1978 and is compulsory for all soldiers enlisting on or after 1 February 1978. The ex-gratia scheme which came into operation on 1 January 1978 applies to the widows of soldiers who (a) died in service before 1 June 1977 with not less than five years' service, or; (b) retired on pension or or before 1 June 1977. Six widows have been awarded contributory pensions and 619 widows have been awarded ex-gratia pensions to date.
If there are any matters on which Deputies require further information I will be glad to supply the necessary details in the course of my reply to the debate.