Vol. 322 No. 4
Tairgim:
Go ndeonófar suim nach mó ná £144,283,000 chun iáoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar crioch an 31 ú lá de Nollaig, 1980, le haghaidh tuarastail agus costais Oifíg an Aire Cosanta, lena n-áirítear seirbhísí áirithe atá faoi riaradh na hOifíge sin; le haghaidh pá agus costais Óglaigh na hÉireann; agus chun deontais-i-gcabhair áirithe a íoc.
On behalf of the Labour Party I wish to record our appreciation of the Army both at home and abroad. It is significant that we use the term "Defence Forces" to describe the Army, the Navy and the Air Corps. It expresses what we expect of their contribution to society in their primary role not only at home but also now abroad in the peace-keeping organisation of the United Nations. For their endeavours they deserve our best thanks. They deserve also the best in wages, accommodation, conditions of service and equipment.
It is disappointing when one looks at the Estimate to find that it is totally inadequate if one takes inflation into consideration. No Member of the Dáil or indeed any citizen would deny our Defence Forces operating on Border duty a decent and adequate wage and compensation. Currently, it is in the region of £1.50 a day for the enlisted member and £1.75 for the officer. To expect members of the Defence Forces, which I classify as displaced people, to move from their home areas and operate in Border areas doing excellent and outstanding duty to ensure that our people can live in safety with that type of compensation is an absolute insult. If one were to relate this to industry one could well imagine how many people would volunteer to move from their wives and families and be thus displaced for £1.50 a day or £1.75. The Minister will have to reconsider this matter. He would have the full support of the House and of every citizen if he accepted my suggestion to compensate these people adequately for the duties they perform.
I see many decreases where one would expect increases in these Estimates. How does the Minister expect to attract the best young boys and girls into a profession which could be and should be one of the best in the country on the present basis? For some mysterious reason young boys, and girls I suppose, now that we shall have a women's army, go to the local station to join the Defence Forces. Most of these have a certain amount of pride. They appreciate what their mothers and fathers tried to do for them and they want to have the same independence as any industrial worker or other worker. They like to be able to bring home every Thursday or Friday their contribution to the family. They cannot do that. They join the Army and they have to go 40 or 50 or in some cases 100 miles away from home. Living away from home on the kind of salary they are paid they can afford very little to show their appreciation of what their parents have done for them. That right is denied to them because of the foolish and ridiculous system that applies in many cases to Army recruits.
I appeal to the Minister to examine this matter so that where possible any boy or girl anxious to make a career in the Army can be accommodated at home. It is understandable that when certain duties have to be performed these recruits will have to go away from home on a temporary basis. That is what we have in mind when we talk of the subsistence allowance. Generally, recruits must be encouraged to join and the best way to do that is to give them a right to remain as near as possible to home.
Some of the Army buildings can be described as nothing short of derelict. They are dull and old and there are very few new buildings. There is little provision in this Estimate for the construction of new buildings. It should be the Minister's policy to provide a modern, up-to-date standard type of military barracks which will attract young boys and girls to adopt what should be a very lucrative and worthy career. Unfortunately, this is not the case. If this situation were to apply to industry it would be completely unacceptable and everything would grind to a halt.
Fortunately for us, because of the dedication and loyalty of the Defence Forces to the nation the enlisted members and their officers are ready at a minutes' notice to defend the nation if necessary. We have only to think of other nations whose governments cannot even sleep at night wondering if they have that type of loyalty and dedication from their defence forces. There is never any fear of a military coup here and the Minister for Defence and the Government are assured of loyalty and dedication from our Defence Forces.
There is very little appreciation shown for this loyalty by way of remuneration. Our Defence Forces are often regarded as the poor relations of the public service. They do not get any overtime pay because when our Army was founded in 1922 that was the system that was adopted. Why should our Army personnel have to engage in very responsible and dangerous duties in comparison with other members of the public service? In all grades of the public service overtime is paid but no overtime is paid to members of our Defence Forces. There is only a very small subsistence allowance paid to them.
There is no provision made in the Estimate to bring the rolling stock up to modern standards. The Army have only obsolete, broken-down trucks and vehicles. If this was in private industry they would be prosecuted for having such obsolete vehicles, but apparently they are good enough for our Defence Forces. This position is not good enough for me or for the Labour Party. There is no provision made for the purchase of new vehicles.
It should be the policy of the Minister to change with the times. The trend in clothes in general changes every six months but our Army personnel have the same type of clothing year after year. There is no provision in the Estimate for providing new clothing for them. I am glad that some small provision has been made for enlisted men to graduate to the highest posts in the Army. This is long overdue. More provision should be made for our young men and women, who intend to make a career of the Army, to aspire to the highest posts.
Living quarters are provided in many barracks. I imagine if a health inspector went to inspect them he would condemn them as unfit for human habitation. The Minister should get away from the idea of having houses inside military barracks. If such houses must be provided they should be modern, new type houses. I am sure the Minister will try to do some of the things which I have suggested so that we can show our deep appreciation to the members of the Defence Forces for their wonderful loyalty and dedication.
The Minister will have to consider seriously changing the old policy in relation to remuneration of our Defence Forces. Something must be done in a positive way rather than merely paying lip service in the House, going down to open new barracks and to passing out parades. All the people in the Defence Forces must be adequately paid. If we want to attract people into the Defence Forces we must also ensure that the whole system is changed from the policy which has been in operation since the foundation of the State.
Like Deputy Lipper I would like, on behalf of my party, for which I have the honour of being spokesman for the Department of Defence, to pay tribute to our Defence Forces at home and abroad for their dedication and loyalty. I would like also to take this opportunity of placing on record my appreciation of the courtesy and co-operation I have always received as spokesman for this Department from members of the Defence Forces and officials of the Department. During the time of the very dangerous situation in the Lebanon when I sought information it was very freely given to me. I want to place on record my very deep appreciation of that co-operation.
There are a few points I want to make to the Minister. I take it that the Estimate is geared at providing the full establishment strength of our Defence Forces. As we have not realised the establishment target which, as far as the Defence Forces are concerned, is 17,409 men, there is a saving. This was the establishment figure on 31 March last. As a result of a parliamentary question and information which I received I was told on that occasion that we had 12,623. The figure set by the Minister for the Army is 15,157 during the same period and we have 11,219 officers and men. The indications are, even though there is an increase in the estimate, that there is a saving in relation to that aspect of it. On 30 September 1977 we had 13,412 men in the Army, which is a drop of 2,200 now. During that time we recruited 4,272 men so the net loss in trained men is 6,500. That indicates a trend I am very concerned about. What does the Minister propose to do about this?
I had discussions recently with some of the personnel involved. I tried to ascertain from them and from people who had the experience of what the problems were and why this trend is so obvious. I gather from a remark made to me that there is a change in their duties which have been arduous and long. As somebody put it to me, they were busmen, binmen and bank men and this is a complete change from the purpose for which they joined the Army. Also they have very long hours of duty. This is an area which the Minister could examine and probably improve.
We have a reserve force, the FCA, of approximately 20,000, as was stated in reply to a recent question. This figure would be inflated because a number of them are not active. However, we have a force here whose activities we could extend. We have assigned to the FCA 1,000 officers. I hope they will do a good job and that the Minister will consider the possibility of extending their role and examining the overall situation to find out how they can be employed better.
Under subhead H there is an increase for this year. This is something in which I have some concern. It is in relation to defensive equipment, motor transport vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and ships, all imported. During the past few months I was trying to get information by way of parliamentary question to the Minister to ascertain the situation in relation to the Timoney armoured car and the prospect of having this sort of equipment manufactured at home and so help the serious balance of payments situation. This would be a major contribution. I am afraid that the information I got from the Minister did not get to the root of the situation, but beidh lá eile. Last year the Minister's predecessor stated in the estimates that he had provision for a down payment on a twin-engined helicopter. This would mean that the delivery of this was imminent. I was informed in answer to a parliamentary question that consideration was being given to the leasing of such an aircraft. It takes so long to get this and that is why I am questioning about it. Considering that between leasing, loaning and buying an executive jet such an aircraft can be provided by the Government with all haste, I want to know exactly why it takes so long to provide these other aircraft.
I am glad that an attempt is being made to modernise the Air Corps. Here, as in other areas in the Defence Forces, we have casualties. I take this opportunity to sympathise with the relatives of the pilots who were killed in Gormanston in the course of their duty. The Air Corps are also suffering a loss of manpower, with 650 instead of 1,155, which is the full establishment strength. Here again the trend shows clearly. We are very inadequate as far as long-range rescue aircraft are concerned and over the last year the RAF had to be called on to provide such a service on no less than nine occasions. In the course of that year we had 61 air and sea rescue missions. I put to the Minister that the Army and the Air Corps in that regard provide a very valuable and useful service to the public at large. In their work in, for example, providing services for the health boards, transferring patients from places far removed from central hospitals and so on, they have provided that sort of service. The charge is quite expensive. I think, subject to correction, that it would be somewhere in the region of £160 per hour. Our Defence Forces provide a security service for the banks without charge or fee. That is wrong. Some institutions in this State make huge profits—it was quoted recently that one of them made approximately £40 million in one year—and the State is asked to provide a service for them. I compliment the Army and the Air Corps for the service they are providing to the State in the cases that I have mentioned. They are being paid for it and other organisations in the State have to pay for the security, and the banks do not. I would like the Minister to comment on that because it is difficult to get all the information through parliamentary questions.
When I expressed concern at the dwindling numbers in the Naval Service the Minister said that the numbers were the highest ever. I was glad that, at the launching of a vessel at Haulbowline recently, the Minister at least accepted and realised that there was a problem here, that the numbers are difficult to keep and that it is difficult even to reach the establishment figure. This problem must be attended to immediately. The strength of the Naval Service is well below the establishment figure and the duties have increased since we became members of the EEC. From 11 January 1977 their activities will have taken them over 130,000 square miles, which is about four times the size of this island. The Minister certainly could examine the conditions in this area, their duties, pay and so on. Since the establishment was increased by the Minister since he came into office, what have we achieved? Is there any increase in real terms? As far as the Naval Service is concerned we have not any advanced planning or programme. Due to the technical nature of the Naval Service you cannot walk out on the street and just pluck the people with the technical qualifications and land them into a job. It takes long-term planning rather than instant recruiting of naval personnel. Last year, 1979, the service was 36 officers short. In June of this year what is the improvement in that position? I understand that six officers have been recruited and four have left or retired from the service. Equally serious is the position regarding men. We are 150 short and the Minister recruited 161 this year but in the same period 102 left the service. In addition the Minister has increased the establishment by 240. The gap is getting progressively worse. In 1977 the difference in real terms between the number of personnel we had and the establishment figure was 98.5 per cent. In 1978 it was 81 per cent and in 1979 it was 78 per cent. The point which I am making to the Minister is that that trend goes right through the forces.
The Minister's commitment is shown quite clearly in the number of apprentices he has. The establishment says there should be 72 qualified engine room people. Actually he has 23. As an emergency measure, 26 are being pushed through in the AnCO training centres. I am subject to correction, but I believe the salary paid to one of those qualified engineroom artificers represents an increase of £7 per week. That seems a very small difference in remuneration for somebody who is qualified as against somebody who is not qualified. It takes a considerable length of time to attain the necessary qualifications.
The debate is confined through no fault of anybody. There is an agreement between the Whips. I do not want to go into that in detail. I want to comment on our armed forces and I want to deal specifically with the Army. It was a retrograde step for any Minister to discontinue the ceremonial parades we had and the displays by our Army personnel. If we had something like an Easter parade, we could show our armed forces on the streets and the people would see and realise that this is a noble career. Parents could take their children to see these parades and people would get to know more about the Army and Army life.
The Minister has said this is not possible for security reasons. That could be overcome by the suggestion I made earlier about the FCA and the reserve forces. I am very concerned about this aspect of recruitment. It would do more good than all the advertisements in the papers and on television. Those advertisements are a bit misleading. They do now show exactly what people joined the Army for. They do not show the duties which are assigned to them which they did not join to do.
I should like to pay tribute to the Women's Corps and to wish them success. Progress is slow and that is a difficulty. I should like to have time to pay the tribute to the people in Civil Defence which they deserve. I see a very serious and dangerous trend so far as our Army and our Defence Forces are concerned. People who are being recruited are not staying in the force. The Minister said the attractions of civilian life are too great and people are being attracted out of the Army. If that is the case, the Minister has a duty to make the Army equally as attractive, and to provide careers which will attract young people to join the armed forces. Could I ask the Minister to excuse me? I have to go. I do not intend any reflection on anyone.
I should like to thank Deputy Lipper and Deputy Creed for the very well-deserved tributes they paid to the Irish Defence Forces. Before dealing with the individual questions raised, I should like to refer to a number of general matters. Any questions which I am unable to deal with in the time available will be considered fully in due course.
The Estimate for the Defence Forces for the financial year 1980 is a net sum of £144,283,000 of which a sum of £105,284,000 or almost 73 per cent, is provided for pay and allowances. Deputy Lipper suggested that the amount of money being made available was not sufficient. The fact of the matter is that this Estimate is, in effect, £26,154,000 more than the provision for last year. Of this sum, increased pay and allowances account for £23,588,000 and the balance of £2,566,000 is the net increase in the remaining subhead. The estimate provides for an average strength of 1,500 officers, 95 cadets and 12,400 other ranks, a total of 13,995 in the Permanent Defence Force.
Deputy Creed complained that the money being made available was not sufficient in respect of the establishment. I do not think there has ever been a time when the establishment and the actual strength were equal, and the estimate is based on the expected strength and not on the establishment. This has been the practice for a considerable number of years. For a number of years past very great demands have been made on the officers and men of the Defence Forces. I know I am reflecting the feeling of the House in again expressing the appreciation of the Government for the magnificent way all components and elements of the forces, both the permanent and reserve, have responded to the demands made on them. As well as their security duties, the Defence Forces have assisted the community in a variety of ways. For instance, over 60 search and rescue missions were made by Air Corps aircraft during 1979, and a total of 105 ambulance missions were flown conveying seriously injured patients to specialist hospitals.
Deputies will be all too well aware of the tragic events of recent months in which some members of the Defence Forces serving with the United Nations interim force in Lebanon lost their lives and others were injured. Diplomatic initiatives following the recent meeting in Dublin of representatives of the troop contributing countries are continuing with a view to bringing about conditions in the mission area in which the force can operate safely and effectively. The Secretary General of the United Nations and the force commander are using their best endeavours to achieve this objective. I should like, once again, to pay tribute to the excellent work in very difficult circumstances which is being carried out by the personnel of the Irish contingent serving with UNIFIL in the cause of peace.
Reference was also made to pay and conditions in the service. The pay and conditions generally of the members of the force are maintained at a high standard. The weekly pay of a recruit is now £74.13 a week. A fully trained soldier is paid over £83 per week, rising to almost £90 after three years' service. Following a special review of the pay of senior officers, the Government decided recently to grant substantial increases in the rates and scales payable. The increases are effective from 26 June 1979 and they apply to the ranks of commandant and upwards. All allowances, including those payable for duties of a security nature, are kept under regular review, as are conditions of service generally.
I have already referred on a number of occasions to the reorganisation of the Defence Forces, including special measures to enable the Naval Service and the Air Corps to meet their increased responsibilities. This has been put into effect and recruiting to bring the new establishment up to full strength is proceeding. There are vacancies in all elements of the Defence Forces and I ask Deputies to encourage young men to enlist for service, in the knowledge that they will be serving their country in the best possible manner.
Deputy Lipper referred to the living accommodation. I am giving very high priority to improving accommodation and facilities for members of the Defence Forces. This is reflected in this year's allocation of over £4 million for building works. It is intended to replace unsuitable married quarters for noncommissioned officers and privates by modern housing and £557,000 is being provided this year for the construction of new quarters. A scheme of 14 houses at McGee Barracks in Kildare is nearing completion and a scheme of 20 houses at Galway is well under way. A contract will shortly be placed for a scheme of 12 flats at Cathal Brugha Barracks, the first phase in the replacement of old married quarters at that barracks. Initial planning is also in hand for the erection of 12 houses at Kilkenny, at least 48 houses at Collins's Barracks, Cork, and 100 further houses at the Curragh Camp.
The living accommodation of single soldiers is also receiving attention. New billet buildings have recently been completed at Finner Camp, Gormanston Camp and Galway and others are under construction at Dundalk Barracks and at Fitzgerald Camp in Fermoy. Work on a new billet for the Naval Service at Haulbowline will be commencing this year. In other locations existing billets continue to be improved, where practicable, by dividing large rooms into cubicles, the provision of individual bedhead lighting, installation of central heating and improvements to sanitary and ablution facilities.
Extensive building works are planned for Casement Aerodrome to cater for the increased needs of the Air Corps. In the current year it is hoped to have work commenced on an extension to the apprentices' hostel, a new technical stores and a cookhouse and dining-hall complex. Plans have also been prepared for further development works at Gormanston Camp, including accommodation for the headquarters of the new Border Brigade and a cookhouse, dining hall and men's club. It is hoped that these works will be started this year.
Major improvement works are being carried out at the Curragh Camp. They include a new cookhouse and dining hall complex to cater for all ranks at Pearse and MacDonagh Barracks. A transport maintenance complex has recently been completed and work is proceeding on a Curragh Command vehicle workshops to cater for major overhauls. It is anticipated that work will be commencing in the near future on the first phase of new Ceannt Barracks and this phase will include accommodation for the Women's Service Corps.
How much accommodation will be available for the Women's Service Corps?
We have not started recruiting them yet.
How many members of the Women's Service Corps will the accommodation cater for?
The accommodation will cater for 90 members.
The Minister has only 15 minutes altogether and should be allowed to continue without interruption.
I am replying mainly to points made by Deputy Lipper. It is expected that work will begin this year on a number of other projects throughout the country including new cookhouse and dining facilities at Kickham Barracks in Clonmel, at Murphy Barracks in Ballincollig and Finner Camp, new accommodation for the Army School of Music at Cathal Brugha Barracks, and a new FCA Headquarters at Portlaoise.
The 1980 provision for defensive equipment has been substantially increased over that for 1979 and will cover the purchase of new mortars, artillery, computer equipment, new field guns, anti-tank missiles, surface to air missiles and additional tanks.
In relation to the matter mentioned by Deputy Creed, arrangements are being made to lease a large twin-engined helicopter capable of flying at night or in reduced visibility. The Army has not had this type of helicopter previously and it will add substantially to their capability.
A new patrol vessel, LE Aoife, was commissioned last October and another new vessel, LE Aisling, was handed over to the Naval Service in May this year, thus bringing to four the number of fast modern patrol vessels especially suited for all-weather operations in Irish waters available to the Naval Service. Two further vessels of a new design are to be ordered and it is intended that the new design will incorporate a helicopter-carrying capability.
I would like to pay tribute to the Civil Defence. It is a voluntary organisation which plays a vital role in the overall Defence arrangements. It is deserving of special thanks and encouragement and I gladly pay tribute to their excellent and very worthwhile work. Without the fullest co-operation of the local authorities, however, Civil Defence could not be made to work and I would therefore like to take this opportunity to state that the Department have received every co-operation from these bodies. I wish also to express sincere appreciation of the active co-operation of the Red Cross Society, the Order of Malta and the St. John's Ambulance Brigade with the Civil Defence organisation.
The Minister has made very little allowance for the Civil Defence and little or nothing for the Red Cross.
We are making a certain amount of money available. These organisations are doing an excellent job and I just want to pay tribute to them. I also want to refer briefly to the Army Pensions Estimate, although we will have more time to deal with it later on.
The Army Pensions Estimate is for a net sum of £20,751,000 for the year ending 31 December 1980, representing an increase of £3,527,000 on the provision for last year. The increase is related mainly to increases in pensions granted during 1979 and to the inclusion of provision to cover increases in pensions and allowances from 1 July 1980 in accordance with the principle of maintaining parity in public service pensions. Special allowances are also being increased.
Deputies will be aware of the new Army Pensions Bill which was introduced yesterday to provide for, among other things, the payment of enhanced allowances for the widows and children of personnel killed on duty and the new allowance of £185 a year for the widows of special allowance holders. The Bill is to be debated next week. Arising out of the introduction of the allowance of £185 a year for the widows of special allowance holders, the minimum rate of special allowance is being increased to £185 a year. The new allowance of £185 a year was announced in the budget, as well as the extension with effect from 1 July 1980 to the widows of veterans of the War of Independence of the free electricity allowance and the free television licence. In addition military service pensions and the allowance payable to their widows are to be free of income tax.
It is vital that the education and training of the officers and men of the Defence Forces are continuously improved to keep abreast of modern developments. A total of 77 officers are undergoing various full-time courses at third-level educational institutions. In 1978 a cadet scheme was introduced for the purpose of providing the Naval Service with qualified Marine Engineers. To date ten cadets were appointed under this scheme and are undergoing full-time training in the Cork Regional Technical College. Discussions have also taken place between officials of my Department and the college on the question of the provision of suitable courses at the college for navigation cadets.
It is the practice to assign a number of personnel to courses of training in foreign military establishments and during 1979 such courses were attended in Britain, India, Luxembourg, Germany and the United States.
Members of the Permanent Defence Force who, in their own time, attend approved second-level and third-level courses of education 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 are refunded the cost of books and examination fees.
A scheme exists whereby personnel are registered with AnCO as apprentices in various trades such as fitter, motor mechanic, sheet metal worker, bricklayer, plasterer and painter-decorator. These personnel attend either full-time off-the-job training courses or day-release courses.
With a view to assisting Army personnel in finding civilian employment on discharge, I have arranged for a number of resettlement courses to be run in Army workshops on a pilot basis.
Cuireadh agus aontaíodh an Vóta.
