Vol. 476 No. 4
19 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Defence the number of meetings his officials have had with RACO and PDFORRA since 1 March 1996 to discuss the reorganisation plan for the Defence Forces; whether he has satisfied himself with the level of consultation the associations have had on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7152/97]
I have given RACO and PDFORRA assurances that they will be consulted regarding the reorganisation process. To that end, a sub-committee of the Conciliation Council for the Permanent Defence Forces has been established to deal with issues arising from that process. Since 1 March 1996, officials of my Department have had 20 meetings with the representative associations to discuss various issues related to the reorganisation, including the VER scheme, manpower policy and the restructuring of the force. I met the associations on a further nine occasions in the past year or so. The reorganisation process has also been discussed with the associations on a number of other occasions, and consultations with RACO and PDFORRA will continue.
