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Special Committee Defence Bill, 1951 díospóireacht -
Thursday, 13 Mar 1952

SECTION 29.

Question proposed: " That Section 29 stand part of the Bill."

I am opposing Section 29 because I think it is unnecessary. First and foremost, the word " cadetships " is used, and while we know what cadetships are, there seems to be no necessity for the section, because, under Section 27, the Minister may establish such and so many institutions as he thinks fit for the training of members of the Defence Forces. He may make regulations regarding staff, the people to be admitted, curricula, the direction of training, the examinations to be held and the management. It seems to me that, under Section 27, the Minister has all the powers he wants to provide for the training of people who join the Army for the purpose of being appointed to commissioned ranks.

To have put that amendment to Section 27 would be more material. It is only a formal amendment.

Our legal advisors considered that we should have this. In order to get into the institutions mentioned in Section 27 you must first be appointed to a cadetship.

We all know what a cadetship means. It is part of the military education. At times persons have been taken into the military college as cadets direct from outside, having passed the examination held by the Civil Service Commission. This was in the old days. Then there was an interview board and the person who passed joined the Army as a private. Now, I understand, you join the Army as a private in the first instance and you are appointed a cadet on giving satisfactory evidence that you are fit to be a cadet.

The point is that first of all the boy applies. If his educational standards reach what is required he is interviewed. If he passes that interview, including the medical examination, successfully he is appointed a cadet to the college, but in the college his rank is only that of a private. He is recognised as a " private cadet " or a " cadet private." whichever is the right term. The only purpose for this—in case that you might think that there is something behind it—is that from time to time it might be necessary to change the educational standards, and there are other things which you might wish to do in connection with the institution in which cadets are educated, and these things are done by regulation. There is nothing in giving the Minister the right to make regulations. If the regulations come to the Minister from the college through the Adjutant-General and he is satisfied, he signs them.

My only reason for raising this point was that I thought Section 27 quite enough, because it says that the Minister may establish such and so many institutions as he thinks fit for the training and instruction of cadets. I take it that that is the section which enables him to establish the Military College. There was a specific reference in the old Act to the Military College, but I do not think it appears in this Bill at all.

It is merely a matter of form.

Age, for instance, is one of the matters about which the Minister may make regulations. At the present time, it is 18 to 20, but if enough pressure were put on the Minister he might have to change it to 18 or 21 or make it something higher. He may make regulations about accepting soldiers to cadetships by extending the age of those who would be in that category. I can assure you that there is nothing to fear in this.

I will, of course, be prepared to let the section go through, but I would ask the Minister to consider between this and the Report Stage whether it would be desirable to extend Section 29 to provide specifically for the Military College and for the training of cadets. That seems to be what is in mind, but it would be strange if the Military College were set up specifically under Section 27 and if some of the students trained in it were to come under Section 29. I do not press the Minister to say anything about it now, but I would ask him to consider it.

Naturally, we would consider it. Any suggestions will be scrutinised very carefully. The Deputy knows that there are more than cadets at the college.

I know that but the Military College has got an excellent standing not only in the Army but in the country, and it would be well if it was specially mentioned in the Bill.

Yes. We will consider that.

Section 29 agreed to.
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