Senator Gerard Craughwell - speech from 29 Jun 2021

Thank you very much, Chairman. I would like to welcome the Defence Forces. I have to say at the outset, as a former serving member myself, I have to say the presentations that we have received from both yourselves and from PD4 in recent times are utterly depressing. I cannot understand how we have allowed such a proud organisation to be so utterly devastated in the future. in recent years. One of my great concerns is the massive intake of young officers into the cadets. Are we creating a problem going down the road when they all reach that glass ceiling that we're only a very small few of those will actually have a military career? Cavan King, you mentioned adjudications and your success with adjudications. I argued some time ago against the appointment of a HR person in the Department of Defence and sadly it wasn't listened to. What is it about the relationship you have with the Department that you find yourself going into adjudications? Why is that happening? Cavan King, you've got some sort of a system whereby you can agree things without having to go to a third party to adjudicate on your behalf. I find it utterly baffling that we put somebody in on a very high salary that should be able to resolve these issues and that that's not happening. Cavan King, you recently published an exit survey. I have to say I found it rather strange that there was a need to do that and clearly something stimulated you to carry out that survey. The outcome of the survey itself is actually horrifying. I, as you know, I was a non-commissioned officer when I was in the Defence Forces officers joined for careers and there was a huge loyalty from the State to its serving personnel officers and NCOs and there was massive loyalty from serving soldiers back. The outcome where 30% of retired officers say they would not recommend the Defence Forces and if we're being honest about it, 64% of them are saying they wouldn't recommend a career in the Defence Forces, albeit 34% of them, if we can find improvements, would be willing to do that, would be willing to recommend it as a career. What has gone so terribly wrong in your view that young officers are leaving and have such a dim view? Yet any time I meet retired groups, the pride of service has never left them, the camaraderie that existed, the sadness that one reads in your survey of people who loved every day they served and simply left because they could not have a normal family life. We hear stories of people having to commute all over the country for what appears to be no real benefit to the organisation and I would be interested in your views on that. The pay talks, I know my colleague Deputy Brady has mentioned on the pay talks, there was palpable anger from the Defence Force personnel that I would know that essentially there were no negotiations with RACO or with PD Fora. You were literally handed a fait accompli, you had no input whatsoever. How do you see a pay commission changing that? Or if a pay commission is stuck within the national percentages, whatever they will be agreed with ICTU, what function do you see a pay commission having for the Defence Forces? Specialised instructors, I was part of the Trade Union movement and a President of the Trade Union movement when FEMPI came in and a lot of the allowances were removed during that process. But we have been unwinding those FEMPI cuts over the years. Are you telling me that your commissioned officers who are involved in specialist roles are still being impacted by FEMPI insofar as they don't have their specialised instructors allowance back? Because if they don't, that is a pretty serious matter. How have they been left out when everybody else is getting theirs back? I don't understand that. The other one is the issue of fixed promotions, particularly for specialised personnel such as medical officers. Is there a problem there? There was a problem some time ago. I'm not sure if that problem still exists. And if it is, can you just give us some idea about it? Just a couple of last points. The issues of overseas service. Ireland rightly talks with pride about our service in the United Nations, etc. It's my experience that if, say, a commandant from a barracks is sent overseas, that vacancy remains open while the commandant is overseas and some other young officer has to step in and take their place. How many officers, in your view, are operating at what I would call a grade above their pay grade, where they are taking responsibility, say, a captain taking the responsibility of a commandant running a company or something, or a commandant taking the responsibility of a battalion? I'm somewhat concerned about that if you have something on that. The issue of abatement probably doesn't impact your members as much as it does other ranks. But does RACO have a view on the issue of abatement and where it stands? Finally, this is more a statement than a question. The pop-up recruitment at the weekend, to my mind, brought recruitment to a new low. That we would find ourselves with a tent beside a ship hoping somebody would wander in off the street to join up. Is that how bad things have gone? So, leaving us at that, I am delighted to see that you mentioned the Air Corps and Search and Rescue. I would hope to see the Air Corps used in a more productive way rather than the last port of call. They should be the first port of call for any air transfers. I will leave it at that, Chair. I can see you want me to move on. Thank you, Senator. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.