I move:
That a sum not exceeding £19,165,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1972, 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 a grant-in-aid.
The Estimate for Defence is for a sum of £19,165,000. By way of comparison, the total amount voted for the financial year 1970-71 was £18,788,010. Deputies are aware that already in July of this year a Supplementary Estimate was agreed to enable the Government to make £10,000 available to the Irish Red Cross Society as part of our contribution towards the international efforts for the relief of distress in India and in East Pakistan. A further Supplementary Estimate will be introduced later this year. Final figures and costings are not yet available, but I can say at this stage that it will be of the order of £3,000,000. It will include substantial provision for new and increased equipments and for an increase in the strength of the permanent Defence Force. Satisfactory progress is being made in the implementation of these programmes.
The duties of the permanent Defence Force have been exceptionally heavy for some time past. Duties in aid of the civil power arising from the situation in the Six Counties have become more onerous. Special security duties, including Border patrols, are making increasing demands on manpower and equipment. Fortunately, An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil are available to shoulder some of the burden; so also is the First Line Reserve, of which 170 members are at present on full-time service. Morale is good, recruitment is satisfactory and the strength of the permanent Defence Force is higher now than at any time in the past decade. The Defence Forces have demonstrated that the high standards of dedication, discipline and efficiency they have always displayed are being well maintained. It is with pleasure and pride that I acknowledge the efficient and zealous manner in which all components of the Defence Forces carry out their duties in the present difficult circumstances.
While, as I have just said, recruitment is satisfactory, I am arranging for an intensive recruiting campaign through the Press and television, beginning about February next. Deputies can also lend a hand by encouraging young men to offer their services. As Deputies are aware, the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the FCA as a component of the Defence Forces was celebrated recently. The force is making a vital contribution to our defence needs, which is particularly appreciated at this difficult time. I ask the members to keep up the good work and to strive for even greater proficiency as soldiers. I ask them, too, to be steadfast in their active membership.
At present an infantry group of approximately 390 officers and men is serving as a contingent of the United Nations peace-keeping force in Cyprus. A total of over 8,800 all ranks have now done duty there. The group does not include an armoured car element and the armoured cars which were in Cyprus have been brought back. I was satisfied that this could be done without detriment to the safety and security of our contingent.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations in a report dated 30th November, 1971, to the Security Council has stated that the overall discipline and bearing of the officers and men of the United Nations Force in Cyprus have continued to be of a high order and reflect credit on the contingent commanders, their staffs and the armed forces of the contributing countries. He also pays tribute to them for continuing to carry out with exemplary efficiency and devotion the important task assigned to them. This confirms the impression I gained during my visit to Cyprus in October, 1970. The morale and health of the troops there continue to be satisfactory.
The present position about the recovery of the extra and extraordinary expenses arising from participation in the Cyprus operation is that claims amounting to £2.94 million have been made on the United Nations; £2.37 million has been refunded leaving a balance of £0.57 million outstanding. That is not satisfactory and strong pressure is being put on the United Nations to effect a substantial improvement in the position.
Twenty-one officers are serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation in the Middle East; 13 of them are in the Suez Canal sector and the remainder at Damascus, Tiberias and Jerusalem. Deputies are aware of the tense situation existing in this area.
It is a matter of pride for every one of us that this country is making a worthwhile contribution to the United Nations missions in Cyprus and the Middle East and that our Army is playing a significant part in these peace-keeping operations.
The benefits, however, are not all one-way. The experience and training gained by our soldiers in the course of these operations are a very valuable asset and make the effort well worthwhile. There is, too the benefit to morale that overseas service brings. I may say that these troops could be brought home at very short notice if circumstances should ever dictate such a course.
In dealing with last year's Estimates, I mentioned the increase in Army pay and other benefits following on a special review. Recently, following a further review, a total of 63 officer appointments has been upgraded. This should result in a considerable improvement in career prospects for officers generally.
During 1971 to date helicopters took part in 16 missions involving air/sea rescue and 33 ambulance missions conveying emergency medical cases, such as brain injury and spinal injury patients, to Dublin hospitals for special treatment.
The three existing machines have proved very suitable and so far they have enabled the Air Corps to meet all emergency calls. However, the demands made on them have been increasing. The periods during which they are out of service for maintenance purposes have also been increasing with their age.
There is a provision of £100,000 in the Estimate, Subhead O2, for the purchase of a fourth helicopter, and a contract for the purchase has been placed, delivery to be in March, 1972.
Interested parties sometimes plead for the establishment of additional helicopter centres, particularly near the western and southern coasts, for air/sea rescue and other operations. However, the cost of setting up and maintaining even one further centre would be very great and I feel that the expenditure could not be justified having regard to the marginal advantages it would give compared with the existing arrangements.
We have seen during the past year the inauguration of a new phase in the Naval Service with the introduction of three minesweepers. Work on the construction of the all-weather fishery protection vessel is proceeding on schedule and I expect it to be delivered early in the next financial year.
With the acquisition of the new vessels, it became necessary during the year to secure additional personnel for the Naval Service. A special recruiting campaign for the service resulted in the enlistment of 84 recruits. The number of recruits continuing to come forward is satisfactory, but the position in regard to executive branch officers is not so satisfactory. Two competitions for Naval cadets have already been held in 1971, but the results were disappointing. Efforts are being made to obtain qualified officers on a temporary basis.
The university training of Army cadets and young officers continues in a satisfactory manner. The 14 cadets appointed in 1968 who commenced their university degree courses in October, 1969, have all passed their first and second year university examinations in the faculties of Arts (7), Science (4), Commerce (2) and Engineering (1).
Fifteen cadets of the 1969 class commenced their first year at university in October, 1970, pursuing courses in Arts (4), Commerce (4), Science (7); 12 of them are continuing at university.
Cadets are commissioned after two years service and all those I have just mentioned are now officers.
A further 28 cadets, of the 1970 class, commenced their university studies in October this year and are pursuing courses in arts (12), commerce (12), science (1) and engineering (3).
Thus we have a total of 54 Army students at University College, Galway, at present.
Up to now the students have been accommodated temporarily in existing buildings at Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa. However, their number is expected to increase in the coming years and the existing accommodation at the barracks will no longer be sufficient to cater for them. A provision of £40,000 is included in the Estimate for the first stage of a new building at Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa to provide additional accommodation.
Cadets and officers attending University College, Galway, receive their normal pay and allowances. Their tuition expenses, including fees and books, are paid by my Department. By any standard a cadetship is an extremely attractive proposition for any young man of character and ability seeking a career in the public service. Nevertheless, the Army has been unable to attract the numbers required and this results in an insufficiency of young officers. Consideration is being given to this problem and it may be necessary to vary the minimum educational standard for entry, which for the past few competitions was matriculation or equivalent. The ideal of a university education for every young officer may not be fully realisable in the short term.
In introducing the 1970-71 Supplementary Estimate for Defence I gave the House information in relation to the scheme whereby NCOs and privates of the Permanent Defence Force are given an opportunity of attending courses of one year's duration at vocational schools with a view to their obtaining the day group certificate. I am glad to say that these courses continue to be popular and in October, 1971, 85 men commenced courses at five centres.
The special arrangements, initiated in 1970, whereby men may undertake a two-year course leading to the leaving certificate continue in operation. This year a total of 43 men enrolled for the course at six centres.
The training of apprentices at the Army apprentice school, Naas, and at the Air Corps apprentice school, Baldonnel, continues. Following discussions with representatives of AnCO in connection with the operation of the apprentice school at Baldonnel, two additional vocational teachers have been appointed with a view to raising the standard of instruction at the school. Close liaison with AnCO is maintained in the running of both apprentice schools; 37 apprentices were recruited for the Air Corps school and 53 for the Army apprentice school as a result of the competitions held in 1971.
The sleeping accommodation at present available for the apprentices at the Army apprentice school, Naas, is not satisfactory and I am taking steps to have the position remedied as quickly as possible. A sum of £42,500 to enable a start to be made in the erection of new billets at the school is included in the Estimate. I hope to have the first stage of the work undertaken this year and to have the project completed next year.
Deputies are aware that we have for some time past been providing courses of training at the military college for personnel of the Zambia army. A second group of officer cadets from that country completed their training in June last. A third class of ten cadets arrived in March this year and a further ten arrived recently. The costs of running these training courses are met by the Government of Zambia.
This year full Army equitation teams competed at Wiesbaden and at Fontainbleau. In addition Army horses and riders competed as part of mixed military/civilian teams at six English and continental shows. Close liaison has been established between my Department and Bord na gCapall and consideration is at present being given to making facilities at the Army Equitation School available to the board for the training of a number of civilian riders and horses. The question of arranging for the trainer employed by Bord na gCapall to train riders and horses of the Army Equitation School is also under consideration.
Since 1969 the Army have been doing a splendid humanitarian job in looking after refugees from Northern Ireland. The peak figure in 1969 was 720 and in 1970 it was 1,558. All these were housed and fed by the Army.
The situation took a dramatic turn for the worse in the second week of August, 1971, when refugees began to arrive over the Border in unprecedented numbers. On the night of 12th August alone 2,825 were received into Gormanston Camp. The military staff there, with assistance from Civil Defence and Red Cross personnel, made heroic efforts to attend to the needs of this great number. What was lacking in physical comforts that night was more than made up for by the humanity, friendship and security these distressed people experienced at Gormanston.
The capacity of Army refugee centres at Gormanston, Finner, Kilworth, Coolmoney, Kildare, Kilkenny, Waterford and Tralee was soon exceeded. It then became necessary to call on local authorities, in exercise of their civil defence functions, to provide accommodation and food for appreciable numbers of refugees. The request met with a ready response. It was school holiday time and religious leaders and communities, in addition to various other organisations and individuals, very generously placed their facilities and services at the disposal of local authorities for the purpose of caring for refugees. The Garda Síochána also helped out by accommodating 600 at the training depot in Templemore. Local authorities, with their Civil Defence services, in Counties Dublin, Meath, Longford, Sligo, Cavan, Leitrim, Laois, Tipperary and Cork were involved in providing accommodation for and looking after refugees. At the peak period 2,695 were being catered for by the Army and 2,714 otherwise.
Thus, the handling of this major influx of refugees was achieved by a combination of military and Civil Defence resources, aided by the Irish Red Cross Society and practical goodwill and sympathy on all sides. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to all who helped directly or indirectly. I should mention particularly the Defence Forces and the local authorities and their Civil Defence organisations. Our sincere thanks are also due to religious leaders and religious communities, regional health boards and the Irish Red Cross Society.
The refugees soon began to return to the North and by mid-September it was possible to close down all the refugee centres run by local authorities and concentrate the remaining people in a few Army camps. At present there is only one refugee centre open, that at Kilworth Camp, where there are approximately 200 refugees.
The worthy part played by Civil Defence in helping to cope with the refugee problem is one more illustration of the peace-time value of that organisation. As Deputies know, however, the primary aim of Civil Defence is to mitigate the effects of war on the civilian population. It is essentially a citizen's service based on the principle of self-help, and practically every country in the world to-day has an organisation of this kind as part of its national defence. Should the necessity ever arise — and we all hope and pray that it never will — Civil Defence would provide considerable protection for the people against the hazards that could threaten their lives and property and perhaps the very existence of the nation. Unless and until we live in a disarmed world, the responsibility remains to provide a Civil Defence service.
Civil Defence is organised on what, to my mind, is the very sensible principle of making full use of such agencies of Government and local and other public authorities as have peace-time functions analogous to the functions that would have to be discharged by Civil Defence in an emergency. On the ground Civil Defence is under the control of the local authorities.
The organisation have as members people of all ages from 17 to 70, of both sexes, of every occupation, religion and social class. The spirit of voluntary service amongst members is high and the example which they have set in preparing themselves for the relief of human suffering and the welfare of their fellow countrymen is most encouraging indeed.
Significant steps have been taken in regard to Civil Defence preparations. In addition to the recruitment and training of volunteer helpers, plans have been made to enhance the individual's ability to survive nuclear hazards. Methods of warning him of the imminence of danger have been established, as well as of monitoring dangerous radiation and of instructing him in ways to protect himself against it. County and regional control centres are being set up from which Civil Defence operations would be directed and co-ordinated. Once again I would like to stress the importance of the Civil Defence householders' handbook which should be in every home and carefully preserved. I would also commend to every householder the short 20-minute Civil Defence film Dangerous Dust which is being shown free to the public in local halls around the country.
I would like to express my gratitude to the members of Civil Defence and my appreciation of the co-operation which exists between the Civil Defence organisation and the voluntary aid societies, the Irish Red Cross Society, the Order of Malta and the St. John Ambulance Brigade. It has always been the ideal that there should be the fullest possible involvement of the members of the voluntary aid societies —wherever these exist locally—in Civil Defence casualty plans.
The Irish Red Cross Society continue to assist in the care of the 200 or so refugees being maintained at present by the Army in Kilworth Camp. Generous public subscriptions to the society's relief funds have enabled them to provide valuable ancillary facilities for the refugees, such as clothing, baby foods, travel expenses and pocket money.
The society in co-operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross have assisted in the alleviation of distress abroad by the prompt dispatch of aid. The £10,000 voted in July as additional grant-in-aid was disbursed through the League of Red Cross Societies for the relief of distress in India and in Pakistan. The society also made available further sums totalling £13,000 to the league, as well as dispatching blankets and medical supplies valued at over £5,000 to the Indian Red Cross Society. I thank the society for their good work.
A sad event during the year was the untimely death last July of Major-General Patrick Delaney, chief of staff. This was made all the more tragic by reason of the fact that he had been in office only since the 1st April. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his widow and family.
As regards Army pensions, the Estimate is for a net sum of £4,299,000, an increase of £185,110 on last year's vote. This net figure does not include provision for some important new concessions arising from this year's Budget. The first of these is the award to widows of military service pensioners of an annual allowance equal to one-half of the late husband's pension as at 1st October, 1971, with a minimum allowance of £52.20 a year. As a direct consequence of this, the minimum military service pension has also been raised to £52.20 a year. The cost of these concessions is expected to be about £280,000 in a full year. Deputies, I am sure, would like to know that as on the 22nd November approximately 2,100 widows had been awarded allowances and of these 2,000 had received the initial payment. The remaining 100 will receive payment this week. There were on the same date some 110 cases in course of investigation and those qualified in this group will be paid their entitlement as soon as possible.
Further, as announced in the Budget statement, military service pensions, special allowances, disability pensions and allowances, and pensions and retired pay of former members of the Permanent Defence Force were increased from the 1st October last. The increases were to bring the pensions, et cetera, up to the levels appropriate to pay rates generally in force on the 1st June, 1969 and were broadly of the order of 10.5 per cent. The cost of these Budget concessions this year will be met from the Vote for Increases in Pensions. In a full year the cost will be £550,000.
There are two items in this year's Estimate to which I wish to call special attention. The provision of free travel for veterans of the War of Independence has proved to be a facility which is being availed of to a much greater extent than was envisaged. Because of the popularity of the scheme, and because of increases in the charges by CIE, the cost of free travel this year will require a Supplementary Estimate of some £260,000. This brings the cost of free travel this year to £320,000. Secondly, the past year saw some very significant improvements in benefits under the Defence Forces (Pensions) Schemes. This House approved of the relevant Statutory Instrument last December. The principal beneficiaries are married officers retiring on reaching the age limit or within five years of it, and married long-service soldiers discharged on pension. The improvements resulted in more men taking their discharge than would otherwise be the case. This, of course, is not a bad thing as it assists towards the maintenance of a balanced age and career structure. However, a Supplementary Estimate of £124,000 will be required later to meet the short-fall in the provision of £1,723,500 for the Defence Forces (Pensions) Schemes.
Before I conclude I would like to make a few general remarks on defence expenditure. I mentioned earlier that this year's outgoing will run to about £22 million, a fairly significant sum in terms of our economy. We have often been accused of spending too little on the Defence Forces and of neglecting this basic institution of the State. In fact this has become almost an obsession with some commentators and writers on defence topics. In passing, may I say that I welcome this concern with defence even if I would wish the subject to be approached in a more balanced and deliberative way and without preconceived notions.
Defence is one of many State services that have to be maintained from the limited and hard-won revenue. What is allocated to each service is determined by a difficult, even painful, balancing process, in the knowledge that if more is given to one, the others must do with less — unless, of course, extra revenue can be procured. Money is really the nub of the matter, and these critical decisions are taken by Ministers and, in the final analysis, by the Government.
Whatever about the past, I believe that in the current situation it is prudent to strengthen the Defence Forces. What we want to ensure is that the security forces will be strong enough to deter and defeat any violent attack, no matter from what quarter, on the institutions of this State and its democratic way of life.
I do not think it is necessary for me to say more at this stage. I shall of course do my best to give Deputies any further information they require.