Willie Penrose
Ceist:49 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on his attendance at and his address to the recent RACO conference. [28700/00]
Written Answers. - Official Engagements.
Jan O'Sullivan
Ceist:61 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on his attendance at and his address to the recent PDFORRA conference. [28701/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 61 together.
Last October, I accepted the invitation extended to me by PDFORRA's national executive to attend the association's ninth annual delegate conference in Galway. While there, I addressed delegates on a wide range of issues including the stability which the publication of the White Paper brings to the Defence Forces, the participation of the association in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, increased investment in new equipment, the restructuring of the Air Corps and Naval Services and the appointment of an ombudsman for the Defence Forces. The delegates responded positively to my address and were particularly pleased by the announcement that I would proceed with the establishment of a legislative ombudsman for the Defence Forces. I left the PDFORRA conference greatly heartened by the constructive attitude shown by the association, its president, executive and general officers.
Last month, I was a guest of the RACO national executive at its eighth annual delegate conference in Kilkenny. There too I addressed the delegates on a large number of defence related issues. I stressed the need for partnership between all of us who share the collective goal of creating a world class, modern, defence organisation.
I was disappointed by the negative tone adopted in the address to conference given by the president of RACO and by his subsequent remarks on television. In the system of representation for the Defence Forces, a careful balance needs to be maintained. In particular, the need to provide the association with sufficient latitude to represent its members effectively must be balanced against the need to reflect the special values and ethos of a military organisation. Nobody could dispute the association's right to disagree publicly with policy in the areas of pay and conditions of service which fall within its remit. However, command over the Defence Forces is exercised through and by the Minister for Defence. It is equally clear that the mounting of an abusive and personalised attack on the Minister for Defence by a serving officer in full uniform is, in all circumstances, wholly and entirely inappropriate.
The Chief of Staff has informed me that he has already made clear to the association his marked displeasure at the conduct of the association during its ADC and he has dissociated himself from the negative content and inappropriate manner in which the president's address was delivered. He has also informed me that he will be dealing further with the issue in a forthcoming address to officers. I would like to place on the record my appreciation to the considerable number of individual officers who have approached me personally to express their disapproval of the tone of the president's address to conference.