Defence Forces: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-21 ============================================================ Laura Harmon (LAB), Industrial and Commercial Panel It is important and timely that we are having this debate here today. It is imperative that we invest in our Defence Forces and particularly in our defence personnel. This a matter of national security. The Labour Party has supported reaching level of ambition 2 for the Defence Forces. We need to know what is happening in our territorial waters. We need to know what is happening in our airspace, particularly in the current geopolitical environment. This includes drones and undersea cables. However, we can invest in all the equipment that we want, but if we are not looking after the personnel in our Defence Forces then we will not have people to operate that equipment. I am going to talk about the navy for a little bit. Cork plays a key role in our security, particularly with our upcoming Presidency of the EU this year. The navy's numbers have increased in the past year but they are still far short of the strength required to patrol Ireland's waters. Figures from October 2025 indicate that the Naval Service had 784 personnel out of a required strength of 1,094. We are back at 2022 levels in terms of strength. We need to increase naval patrol duty allowance further. The Naval Service tax credit, which was increased in 2021, has not kept pace with inflation. Investment in living quarters for our Defence Forces personnel at barracks and naval bases is crucial. We need to invest more in housing and childcare facilities for members of our Defence Forces based in Collins Barracks and Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork. Ensuring a work-life balance is essential for recruitment and retention of the women and men in our Defence Forces. The lack of powers of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Defence and National Security is also notable. "National Security" was added to the title of that committee. At times, this seems tokenistic to me, if I may say so. The Government added this title but added very few new powers. The Garda special detective unit and the Department of the Taoiseach have declined invitations in the past to address the committee and provide national security updates. Our party leader, Deputy Ivana Bacik, has long called for briefings for Opposition leaders on national security, as provided in many other countries. Where is our long-term strategy for national security? The National Security Analysis Centre was established in 2019 and taoisigh and Ministers for Defence have been promising a comprehensive national security strategy for the last five years now. Investment in our Defence Forces is essential. We are under-investing at the minute. We need to look after the women and men who are working in our Defence Forces. I express my thanks and appreciation for the work they do. Ultimately, pay and conditions, recruitment and retention, and work-life balance are essential. Dignity, respect and a zero-tolerance policy on sexual violence and bullying in the Defence Forces need to be upheld. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-21/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-21