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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 May 1998

Vol. 491 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Army Short-Term Contracts.

I welcome the opportunity to raise this very important and urgent matter. It has emerged from recent newspaper reports that regulations to allow for the recruitment to the Permanent Defence Forces of FCA personnel on short-term contracts has been drafted. This initiative has been undertaken without consultation with PDFORRA or RACO and has caused a large degree of concern among members of the Permanent Defence Forces and the FCA. The proposal as outlined in media reports is that FCA personnel would be recruited into the Defence Forces on a short-term 18-months contract, that FCA members would have to resign from the reserve force to avail of this option, and that the intention is to use these personnel to fulfil specialist positions overseas as drivers, engineers and medical staff.

This proposal raises two very important issues. First, there is the nature of the proposal itself and its implications for the Defence Forces. Second, there is the wider question of a partnership approach to change within the Defence Forces and the manner in which this proposal has ignored that approach. There are many operational and contractual problems associated with this plan. If the Minister considers it a quick-fix solution to the staffing problems of units serving overseas, he is sadly mistaken.

It is proposed to recruit FCA members on 18-month contracts. An overseas trip involves a six-months tour of duty and a one-month leave period. That leaves a maximum of nine months for training recruits. Many Army personnel do not believe this to be adequate to prepare a recruit for service overseas. As it stands, it takes five and a half months to train a recruit to basic threestar private standard. It is desirable that overseas personnel undertake additional training courses such as weapons courses and have between six and 12 months operational experience before they serve overseas. This is not possible in the timeframe proposed, and is a serious flaw.

Maturity, experience and a cool head are essential for personnel serving overseas. Our Defence Forces personnel have to fit into a totally foreign political, cultural, military and social system such as exists in the Lebanon. It is totally inappropriate to expect new Permanent Defence Forces recruits with a minimum level of training to assimilate into this scenario. It is not in the best interests of the Army or of the communities we serve overseas to pursue this course of action. It is not acceptable to use sticking plaster measures in such sensitive environments where the safety and well-being of our troops must be a priority.

This proposal also has serious implications for the terms of employment under which our Defence Forces operate. Effectively, we are introducing short-term contracts into the service and providing no career structure for those members of the FCA who may want to apply for the posts. Under the proposal, FCA members must also resign from the reserve force to take up these posts. Has any thought been given to the effect it would have on a reserve force if a large number of key personnel were to leave it within a short period?

There is also a large degree of concern among ordinary rank and file Army personnel that this plan, rather than attempting to overcome personnel shortages, is actually designed to introduce short-term contracts by the back door. Many members of the Defence Forces are concerned that if this measure is introduced, the principle of short-term contracts will be established within the Army and will be employed to a greater extent in the future. I wish to stress the concerns expressed to me by Army personnel about this, going beyond their own personal situation. There is a serious concern about the overall effect of such a policy on the Defence Forces, and members of the Defence Forces want this matter clarified as a matter of urgency.

As well as these serious contractual and logistical matters, this whole plan and the manner in which it has been handled by the Department gives serious cause for concern. The concept of partnership and consultation, which forms the backbone of a recent employment relations policy, has been ignored in this case and this is a serious error. It has increased the amount of suspicion regarding the real motives behind this proposal and has had an effect on morale in both the reserve force, who argue for the extension of overseas experience for the FCA proper, and in the Permanent Defence Forces.

It is imperative that the Minister outlines Government policy on this matter. He must explain where he, as Minister for Defence, stands on the issue and why this proposal proceeded without consultation. He must outline the effects the implementation of this proposal will have on both the FCA and the Permanent Defence Forces. He must outline his recruitment plans for the Permanent Defence Forces that will remove the need to recruit personnel on short-term contracts to fill key posts overseas. Our Defence Forces personnel at all levels deserve this degree of accountability from the Minister. He must put all the facts on the table and tell this House where the proposal now stands.

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this issue. I welcome the opportunity to respond on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Defence, Deputy Smith, and to clarify in precise terms the position regarding the possibility of FCA personnel serving overseas, in particular with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

This issue is in the very early stages of consideration. No firm proposals have been finalised and detailed consideration has only begun. However, because of one public comment by an unnamed source, various groups feel obliged to attack or defend a policy which has not yet been formulated even in the broadest terms. As of now, there is no official position on the issue, it is simply being examined.

Preliminary consideration is being given to allowing members of the second line reserve to serve overseas with units of the Permanent Defence Forces. These considerations are at a very early stage and what is being examined are the advantages and disadvantages of such a scheme, the mechanisms by how it might work, and the difficulties that may arise from an organisational or an individual point of view. In particular what is being discussed is the use of FCA personnel with certain skills, such as paramedics or cooks, to fill certain appointments overseas.

No decision has been taken as to whether these personnel should remain members of the FCA or enlist in the Permanent Defence Forces. No view has been taken as to the length of time they would serve overseas. However, when proposals have been formulated I will give them serious consideration. Any decision will be made in the best interests of the Defence Forces and the State. When the review of the proposal has been completed, all interested parties, including representative associations, will be consulted should any change in the present situation be recommended.

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