Gerard P. Craughwell: Criticises drone readiness, demands cadet pay rise
Gerard P. Craughwell addressed defence and recruitment issues in the Dáil, questioning ministers' claims about anti-drone preparedness and calling for higher cadet pay. He pressed ministers to be honest with the public about expertise on anti-drone equipment and congratulated a senator for work on scramblers and mobility devices.
Drone readiness concerns
Gerard P. Craughwell challenged ministers' public assurances that three months is sufficient to prepare the defence forces for the EU presidency, asking whether any minister has the necessary knowledge or expertise in training and implementing anti-drone equipment. He urged spokespeople to inform themselves with the proper authorities before speaking and warned against spinning claims without empirical evidence.
Call for higher cadet pay
He raised the upcoming cadet recruitment for the Army, Air Corps and Navy and criticised the advertised starting salary of £25,000 a year for cadets aged 18 to 39. He contrasted this with the post-qualification commissioned salary of £45,000-£50,000 and with enlisted recruits earning around £40,000-£42,000, arguing that cadet pay should be increased so trainees can have a decent start in life.
Training standards and conditions
Craughwell described the strict expectations placed on cadets regarding dress and behaviour and cited a visit to Gormanstown where enlisted personnel work long hours and face restrictive weekend conditions. He said cadets are being trained as the country's future leaders and urged an honest parliamentary discussion on pay to reflect the demands of training.
Praise for work on scramblers
He concluded by congratulating Senator Fitzpatrick for her work on tackling the abusive use of scramblers and other mobility devices, placing that legislative effort on the record and thanking her publicly in the House.
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Andrew Crockwell. No surprise, Leader, I'm again speaking on defence and defence issues. The first thing I want to speak about is the issue with respect to drones and the purchase of that equipment. We've had government ministers speaking on TV about three months is plenty of time to have the defence forces up and ready for the presidency of the European Union. Can any one of the ministers speaking actually tell me what knowledge they have, what expertise they have in the training and implementation of anti-drone equipment? We need to be honest with the public. We need to be straight with the public and not spin yarns that we have no empirical evidence to support. So from that point of view, I would ask those who are speaking on the issues with respect to the defence of this country when it comes to the EU presidency to go and inform themselves with the proper authorities before they speak. The next one I want to bring up is we're about to have a call for cadets for the Army, Air Corps and Navy. And it is a wonderful career. A wonderful career. The entry age of 18 up to 39 years of age. But the salary is £25,000 a year. Government continually advert to the qualified salary. Once you are qualified and are commissioned, you'll have a salary of between £45,000 and £50,000 a year. £25,000 a year for a 39-year-old. Let's be honest about it. It's nonsense. Recruits joining to become enlisted personnel are being paid £40,000 a year or £42,000 a year. Government has done a good job with respect to entry level for the enlisted ranks. It's time to look at the cadet salaries and increase the salary to what it should be. £25,000 a year for even an 18-year-old. I'd go and work in one of the supermarkets packing shelves for that and have a better life on it. And I know, Leader, I know that you come from a military town yourself and I know you have an interest in these things. I would ask you to bring it up at your own parliamentary party meeting. Let's have an honest discussion on cadet pay. Let's make sure that they're being paid a salary that is commensurate. We're training the future leaders of the country, you know. Let's give them a decent start in life where they can at least live and have some life. You know, when you go into the cadets, you're expected to dress a particular way when you're not on duty. You're expected to behave yourself in a particular way. We saw that when we visited the enlisted guys out in Gormanstown. They work from 7 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night. They get weekend pass into the local village, but they're not allowed to partake in alcohol or anything like that. So it's quite strict, the training. So let's give them a decent start in life and a decent, I suppose, start off to their career. Just very quickly, I want to congratulate Senator Fitzpatrick. Her work in the area of the scramblers and in the area of abusive use of mobility devices like scramblers and scooters and the like. I have to congratulate you on it. I think I should put it on the floor of the House and thank you for that work.
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