asked the Minister for Defence if he will state whether it is his intention to appoint a day upon which members of the Local Defence Force, who joined the forces for the period of emergency and who wish to be discharged on its termination, may receive their formal and honourable discharge.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - New L.D.F. Scheme.
asked the Minister for Defence if he is in a position to state the post-emergency form of the Local Defence Force; and if he will give the reasons for the delay in announcing the scheme.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle and the indulgence of the House, I would like to make a general statement of the Government's intention with regard to the future of the L.D.F. This, I think, would be the most satisfactory way of dealing with the points raised in questions No. 32 and No. 36, specific replies to which might be misleading because of their inadequacy.
Will the Minister make such a statement at the end of questions? It would be more regular.
I am making it now in the form of a reply. If the House agrees to its publication in the Official Report I will be satisfied.
If it is very long it would be more orderly if it were done at the end of questions.
It will take roughly about eight minutes.
It can be taken at the end of questions.
If a statement is made by the Minister on the matter the House may desire an opportunity of discussing it sometime. Will the Minister say whether an arrangement could be made for that?
I think it is highly desirable that the statement I was about to make should be made because, apart from the fact that questions are being raised in the House, there is a general discussion going on outside and correspondence in the Press and so on and I think it would help to clear the air.
The Minister may proceed.
At a stage like this when the emergency is past and emphasis on the national military problem has eased, it is natural that speculation should have arisen amongst members of the House as to the form the future L.D.F. will take.
In public statements already made by the Taoiseach and by me as Minister for Defence, it has been indicated that the intention of the Government is to retain the L.D.F. as a permanent element of our national defence organisation. Since that general decision was taken, consideration has been given to the preparation of a suitable scheme. Enough progress has been made to enable me to outline in a general way our plans about the future of the force. As Deputies are aware, the force has hitherto been based constitutionally on an Emergency Powers Order. In its new form, a permanent constitutional basis had, of necessity, to be found. The Defence Forces Act which permits the raising of second line volunteers is, in view of the function of the force and of its military significance, the natural permanent basis of the organisation. It will thus become, even more fully than heretofore, a military organisation and will be more closely knit into the permanent military structure. As it would be too serious a breach with a worthy tradition to abandon the title of L.D.F., we propose to retain that title and thus enable the new force to carry with it the tradition established during the last five years. The general organisation of the force will not greatly differ from that with which the Deputies are acquainted. It will be essentially a territorial organisation, the districts becoming battalions and the present district territories forming the limits of the new battalions. Generally speaking, the active assistance afforded to the force by the regular Army will continue to be afforded, until ultimately, as the Government hopes, a position will be reached when the force will be able to train itself in its military functions.
In regard to the problems of personnel, the arrangement will be to grant commissions to as many of the present leaders as are qualified to hold them, provided these leaders are of an age suitable for the discharge of their military duties and there are sufficient vacancies in the new establishments for them. An age limit of 45 years for existing leaders will be fixed. Leaders of districts, for example, with the necessary qualifications will be commissioned initially in the rank of captain for command of the battalions. There will be appropriate ranks for officers commanding lower formations and leaders of non-commissioned officer status will be appointed to the equivalent Army rank. Under the scheme, these age limits will naturally render a proportion of the membership inelegible for duty in the new force. To these members and to others who, though qualified for entry into the new force, do not do so, certificates of service will be issued provided they apply for them in writing and have not less than two years' service in the old L.D.F. I may also mention that a scheme for the issue of service medals to all members of the Army, the L.D.F. and the other auxiliary services who served during the emergency has been approved by the Government and it is hoped to issue them in the new year.
In regard to the fixing of age limits, the main consideration is to ensure that the L.D.F. will continue largely as a virile, youthful force. In pursuance of that idea, an upper age limit for recruits at 35 years has been set. This does not mean that all serving members who exceed 35 years of age will be ineligible. Special provision has been made whereby existing members of the force will be retained in the service, if they have not reached the age of 40 years. When the has been completed, the upper age limit for the new force will be fixed at 50 years. With regard to this matter of age and the importance of securing that the younger members of the community are drawn into the L.D.F., the lower age limit has been reduced to 17 years. While on full time courses, all ranks will be entitled to the same rates of pay as for corresponding army ranks.
It may. at this stage, be premature to outline in any detail training policy, but I should say that, while it is obvious that considerable attention must continue to be devoted to normal military training, increased emphasis will be placed on physical training to develop the well-being of our young men and to inculcate, with such training, those duties of citizenship which should be shared by military and civilians alike. Periodical nightly drills will continue to be a feature of training and provision will be made, at the option of members, for annual summer camps in which the routine training will be brought to its fuller development in a whole time period of from a week to 14 days. The transition from the present force to the force in its new form will involve a simple process of attestation, in which members will undertake to serve for a period of five years, with provision for a voluntary extension of that period to a maximum of 12 years.
It will be gathered from this brief outline of the scheme that the L.D.F., as it has been known, will, in its main features, continue. The least possible disturbance in its traditions is contemplated, so that it will inherit the discipline and traditions which have been established during the emergency years. The importance of the L.D.F. to the nation need not be stressed. Every thoughtful person recognises that not only is the L.D.F. essential to any serious defence plan but is no less important as a beneficial influence in the life of the community.
Between now and the day on which the new scheme will be finally initiated, there will necessarily be an interval. Having regard to the easing of the international situation in so far as it affects this country, there is a possibility of an undesirable relaxation in the activities of the L.D.F. This period, therefore, could easily become one of deterioration, if the energies of the various leaders were not concentrated on an effort to maintain the force. Even where leaders will be overage and must make way for younger men, their duty to maintain the force during the interval is clear. They should be urged to make every effort to maintain the interest of the men and the structure of the existing organisation, in order that, when the change over takes place, they will have the satisfaction of handing on a fine tradition of service to the standardbearers of the new generation. I appeal, therefore, from this House to all L.D.F. leaders of whatever age to continue to stand by their posts and do everything possible to ensure that the L.D.F. of the future will be worthy of the traditions that have been established during the years of stress.
In relation to Question No. 32, would the Minister say whether it is his intention to fix a date of termination of emergency service in respect of the present L.D.F.? The Minister will appreciate that there are many people who joined the L.D.F. because of the emergency, and only because of the emergency, and who may not desire to enter into commitments for the next five years. On the other hand, they do not want to be charged, at the end of their present five years' service, with undesirable relaxation on their part. Has the Minister considered that there are many officers and men in the L.D.F. who wish to be honourably discharged and who are awaiting a date to be defined upon which they can take that discharge honourably? Under those circumstances, does the Minister intend to fix a date for the termination of purely emergency service?
That date will be fixed by regulation in due course. The appeal which I have made to the men now is to stand steady during the particular period between now and the issue of the regulation. When the regulation is issued, the new force will come into being, and the certificates which I have mentioned will be an issue of honourable discharge to those men who have continued to serve.
Can the Minister say when that regulation is likely to be issued and when the certificates are likely to be presented?
There are still numerous minor details, though nevertheless important details, which have to be settled. I have been urging those concerned in examining this matter to have them fixed not later than the 1st January next.
Are we to understand, then, that the Minister does not see the possibility of giving honourable discharge to men or officers of the L.D.F. earlier than the 1st January next?
I do not think that question arises at all. Any member of the L.D.F. who has continued to serve, who has served up to the present moment, can be discharged at his own request and he will be entitled in due course to the medal which we hope to issue and to the certificate. There is no such thing as an honourable discharge at the present moment. The only discharge given will be a certificate of service and that certificate cannot be given until these regulations I have mentioned have been completed.
Is the Minister planning in any way to give the L.D.F. an opportunity of feeling that, in a communal way, they are marking the end of their emergency service, in the way in which it was thought that the L.S.F. would get the opportunity, in a general way, and that, in many local cases, they did get? I submit to the Minister that there is a desire on the part of the L.D.F. to feel that they have stood to attention in a communal way for a dismiss from emergency service. There are many men who cannot well afford to give the attention to duty they would like to give between this and the 1st January next, who are anxious—born out of the sense of discipline, order and service they have learned during that period—to stand to their positions until they get that gesture of being dismissed from their emergency posts.
I do not think I can make it any more clear. These men, if they so desire, can continue to serve up to the 1st January next and then they can go out in any way they themselves desire. They can have any form of parade or reunion and can have their certificates presented, or the medals, if they are ready, in any manner they may desire. If they want to go out in the meantime, there is no reason in the world why they should not go out. There will be nothing in the nature of disgrace in going out and they will be presented with their certificates in due course.
If the Minister would nominate such a date as, say, the 1st November as the end of this emergency service, men would continue on until that date and then go out in a systematic way. Otherwise, there may be a tendency to a kind of slovenly discharge from the L.D.F. which would be undesirable in view of the kind of feeling which the men wish to maintain in their service.
Would the Minister clear up one point? I gather from what he has said that it is intended that those who wish to become members of the new L.D.F. may do so on attesting from the existing force and that it is proposed to have a period of service of five years. Is it the intention to compel them in any way to serve for that five years, or will they be entitled voluntarily to relinquish their service at any time during that five years' period?
We are following a precedent which, I think, was created in respect of the Old Volunteers. It did not cause any difficulty then and I do not foresee any great difficulty in what is being done in respect of the L.D.F. In order to get some kind of fixed force, we are asking men to take on for a period of five years. I suppose there may be a question of a man desiring to resign getting in touch with the officer commanding and making his case clear and getting agreement to his resignation; but the attestation will be for five years. Of course, the service will be only something like once per week with, perhaps, a monthly duty including some kind of outdoor drill, with a period of annual training. I do not foresee any difficulty in that sense at all.
The target to be aimed at is five years' attestation, but the thing is nevertheless on a voluntary basis?
Absolutely on a voluntary basis.