Gerard P. Craughwell criticises Defence over controller shortage
Gerard P. Craughwell spoke at the Defence Committee about the shortage of air traffic controllers and the Government's retention measures. He argued the Department and the Minister failed to act in time, criticising a late bounty offer that excluded serving personnel and warning of a drift toward privatisation.
Craughwell told the Defence Committee that Defence Force personnel take policy instructions from the Department and the Minister. He said he was told last week that the air traffic controller shortage was "in hand," but learned the retention bounty was not offered until late Friday.
The late bounty required recipients to have at least eight years in the job and to hold the rank of Sergeant, criteria that meant the five people leaving did not qualify. Craughwell said the measures put in place by the Minister and Cabinet had not encouraged serving members to remain.
He pointed out that the Secretary General had flagged problems as far back as 2017, again in 2019, twice in 2021 and in a 2023 report that warned of impacts on air traffic control and other specialisms. Craughwell said these repeated warnings were not acted upon.
Craughwell accused the Department of following a policy to privatise services - saying search and rescue and urgent patient transfers have been lost to private companies. He questioned whether policy choices were effectively undermining the Defence Forces' capacity.
He concluded by requesting that the Minister be brought before the committee for a debate, asking organisers to arrange a leader at some stage to address the issues raised by the shortage and retention failures.
Committee hearing
Craughwell told the Defence Committee that Defence Force personnel take policy instructions from the Department and the Minister. He said he was told last week that the air traffic controller shortage was "in hand," but learned the retention bounty was not offered until late Friday.
Bounty and retention criteria
The late bounty required recipients to have at least eight years in the job and to hold the rank of Sergeant, criteria that meant the five people leaving did not qualify. Craughwell said the measures put in place by the Minister and Cabinet had not encouraged serving members to remain.
History of warnings in Department reports
He pointed out that the Secretary General had flagged problems as far back as 2017, again in 2019, twice in 2021 and in a 2023 report that warned of impacts on air traffic control and other specialisms. Craughwell said these repeated warnings were not acted upon.
Privatisation concerns and lost services
Craughwell accused the Department of following a policy to privatise services - saying search and rescue and urgent patient transfers have been lost to private companies. He questioned whether policy choices were effectively undermining the Defence Forces' capacity.
Call for ministerial accountability
He concluded by requesting that the Minister be brought before the committee for a debate, asking organisers to arrange a leader at some stage to address the issues raised by the shortage and retention failures.
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Transcript
This morning at the Defence Committee, we heard how Defence Force personnel take their instructions from the Department and from the Minister when it comes to policy issues. Last week, we had a meeting about the shortage of air traffic controllers. We were assured everything was in hand. I learned over the weekend that the offer of the bounty if you want to remain in service was not made until late on Friday. It had a requirement that those serving had to be at least eight years in the job and had to be the rank of Sergeant. The five people that are leaving don't qualify. In actual fact, the measures being put in place by the Minister and by the Cabinet have not encouraged anybody who is serving to actually stay. I am not sure who is putting the policy in place, who is putting the money in people's pockets, but it strikes me that the Minister and the Government have done what they had to do and the failure is that in whatever way that has been translated into the people in uniform. It is bad enough that the Secretary General knew about these problems as far back as 2017, again in 2019, twice in 2021, once herself drawing attention to the crisis that was coming down the line. They sat on their hands and did absolutely nothing about it. In 2023, in one of their reports, again, they point out the likelihood the impact of air traffic control was going to have and other specialisms within the Defence Forces. It strikes me the policy that has been followed by the Department is to privatise as much as possible. We have lost search and rescue to private. We have lost the transfer of transplant patients and other patients requiring urgent transfer to the UK. We have lost all that to private companies. Are they determined to drive the organisation into the ground? Much easier to deal with. It reminds me of an episode of Yes Minister and the hospital. The hospital ran perfect because there was no patients in it. Is that what they want? The Defence Forces to run great because there are no serving members. We really need to do something about it. We need the Minister in here, if you can organise that leader at some stage for a debate.