Defence Matters: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-25
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I am not our spokesperson on defence. I leave that to my esteemed colleague, but, coming from Kildare and knowing many of my friends, neighbours and community members who are members of the Defence Forces, I always take the opportunity to speak on these issues, which are important not just to my county but to my country. I thank those who are in the service because we depend on them in a huge way.
The last time I spoke about defence matters in the House was on 21 January when Fianna Fáil had its own motion on the Defence Forces and some of the changes that we would like to see. I am pleased that the Minister of State is here to take note of some of the elements that are well-aired. It is important to once again mention the 11 different recommendations that we have been making.
I will briefly go through the 11 recommendations from that motion.
The first was the introduction of the rank of lance corporal. Second was the examination of the introduction of the long-service increment scheme. Third was the implementation of the third strand of the working time directive; it is beyond time that was done. Fourth, it is important that a review of the duty pay system be carried out because having listened to many of those who are serving in the Defence Forces, I know this is causing a huge challenge and we have to look at everything we can to retain those who are in the service as well as recruiting more. Thankfully, the numbers are going up on an ongoing basis.
Fifth, we need improvements in initial cadet pay, which is the lowest in the Defence Forces and that is simply not equitable. Sixth wass the establishment of a specialist pay review body outside of local bargaining provisions to consider the appropriateness of current rates of technical pay to specialists. Again, that is really important for the retention of specialists within the Defence Forces. The seventh recommendation was the commencement of adjustments to pay and allowances as agreed under the local bargaining arrangements of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026. Again, this is really important for retention.
The eighth recommendation relates to how Defence Forces chaplains and the Director of Military Prosecutions are not allowed to avail of membership of a representative association. That is certainly something we would like to see addressed. We would also like to see the ninth recommendation, namely, the appointment of an adjudicator to the conciliation and arbitration scheme for the Permanent Defence Force as well as supporting those in the Reserve.
The tenth recommendation relates to the disparity in pension entitlements for personnel who enlisted post 1994 and pre 2024, which needs to be addressed, and the 11th concerns an evaluation of the public service pensions Act 2012 with regard to its impact on retention. Members who have joined after 2013 face serious financial hardship in the first years of their retirement.
We would like to see all of those recommendations addressed. We know they are not going to be addressed overnight. I mentioned being from Kildare and having great pride in our Defence Forces. I want to mention the ONE, Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann, which does an incredible job in supporting those who have been members of the Defence Forces. We need to see more support for that body. The St. Conleth's branch of the ONE is going through the process of acquiring a house that will be a community centre for former members and will also provide some accommodation for those who are homeless. We need to have this brought through quickly, along with other projects the ONE is working on.
There are 104 residential units in the Curragh Camp. Of those, 63 are currently uninhabitable. In fact, when the Taoiseach was Minister for Defence, he ensured these were not knocked down. It is important that we start procurement to make these habitable because, like everywhere else, the cost-of-living pressure is huge for those living in the area, rents are so high and it is so difficult to buy a house in Kildare. That is something I ask the Minister of State to take on board.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-25