Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:142 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the issues that gave concern at the recent PDFORRA conference have been addressed or resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25036/03]
Written Answers. - Defence Forces Association.
Eamon Ryan
Ceist:145 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on his address to the PDFORRA annual delegate conference in Waterford in October 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25385/03]
Emmet Stagg
Ceist:153 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on his recent address to the annual delegate conference of PDFORRA. [25271/03]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:207 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which he has examined concerns in relation to pay or conditions expressed by PDFORRA at its recent conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25633/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 145, 153 and 207 together.
On 8 October 2003, as Minister for Defence, I addressed my seventh annual delegate conference of the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA which, on this occasion, was held in Waterford. I sought to make my address relevant, positive and informative and discussed topics of interest to the military delegates, their colleagues and to the wider community. I believe that my address was well received by the assembled delegates. I am grateful to the Deputies for their interest in my address. I have arranged for copies of it to be forwarded to them for their information. The speech can also be assessed from the Department of Defence website – www.defence.ie. The Defence Forces' conciliation and arbitration scheme provides a forum for PDFORRA to formally raise, if it so wishes, any issues of concern raised by its members at the conference.