We now come to a one minute statement and I call on Deputy Nealon. This question is appropriate to the Minister for Defence.
Private Members' Business. - Defence Matter.
Training in the FCA has virtually come to a standstill. There are many volunteers, they show great enthusiasm and they want to train. The arms are there for them to train and the training centres are there but what is not there is transport to bring the arms for training from the Army barracks to the training centres. You could not get a more ridiculous situation than that, even in the armed forces of Ruritania. I do not know what excuse the Minister will make but I do know there is no transport whatever available for the 24 sub-units of the FCA in the Eastern Command and the same, virtually, goes for the rest of the country. How can you maintain morale among the volunteers, especially when they know the previous Minister for Defence promised 60 station wagons? This information was circulated to the FCA members but none of these vehicles has been delivered. Station wagons are needed for the basic task of transferring rifles, machine guns and training stores from the barracks to the training centres in towns and villages, one wagon for each sub-unit. I want to know what the Minister is going to do about it.
Programmes for modernisation of the Defence Forces transport fleet commenced in 1988. This programme is based on the disposal of obsolete non-servicable vehicles and their replacement on a phased basis for new vehicles. As part of this programme a contract was placed in August 1990 for the purchase of 20 mini-buses for use by the FCA and delivery of these vehicles will be completed by the end of this month. It is also intended to purchase an additional 35 new mini-buses for use by the FCA in 1991, with other FCA vehicles being replaced as financial resources permit.
On the more general question of training, I would like to point out that mechanical transport is not required for all local training of FCA units and the suggestion that training has been virtually abandoned is not correct. In the event of an FCA unit not having sufficient transport available for a particular occasion, vehicles assigned to the Permanent Defence Force are made freely available to transport FCA personnel. Furthermore, civilian transport is hired for the movement of FCA personnel in training, with £109,000 being spent in the first ten months of 1990. I am satisfied that a programme for the modernisation of the FCA's transport fleet is making a very positive contribution to the FCA training and that overall efficiency will benefit as a result, and these efforts will continue.
The Dáil adjourned at 11.35 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 12 December 1990.