For some time we, and Deputy Lisa Chambers in particular, have been raising with the Government the crisis among all ranks and at all levels in the Defence Forces in terms of morale, the retention of specialist personnel, pay and conditions, the retention of members generally and health and safety to no avail. It is fair to say that the Government's collective head is in the sand regarding the crisis relating to this issue.

Researchers at the University of Limerick, in an unprecedented piece of work, having interviewed and gained observations from more than 600 serving personnel reveal a shocking story of neglect of our Defence Forces, which underpin our very democracy. There is near unanimous agreement, across all ranks and age profiles, that the Defence Forces, comprising the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps, are all at risk. Some officers have told how they are kept awake at night by concerns about whether work carried out on aircraft in the Air Corps leaves them safe for flying because so many experienced personnel have left. One officer said, "There is going to be a huge safety issue in the Air Corps", while another, referring to pay and conditions, stated, "The Defence Forces has been turned into a JobBridge". Some chaplains have said that they have given up encouraging people to say in the uniform. A number of privates spoke of struggling to survive, often depending on their parents.

I will cite some quotations, namely: "People have to leave to survive"; "I can't get a mortgage. Some members are even on family income supplement."; and "People are sleeping in cars." At one point, someone says, "This is unacceptable". In the context of health and safety issues, one senior officer, citing absence of middle management as a significant cause, stated, "We are already seeing it in the Army - little accidents. There is going to be a big accident". Two other quotes are: "It's going to come and if it keeps on unravelling it will come. We fear a serious incident with a number of deaths ... It could be overseas"; and "In the Air Corps we have seen that [already] with three or four fatal accidents".

Air Corps ground crews are working too many hours. In the Naval Service, there are not enough personnel to man seven ships, never mind eight. Women returning from maternity leave feel they are discriminated against, often paraded. People feel that under no circumstances can they access mental health services or admit they are affected by stress or any similar issue.

Does the Deputy have a question?

The fundamental question I want to put to the Taoiseach relates to whether he accepts that there is a deep crisis within our Defence Forces. Does the Government accept that? This is a crisis that calls for an exceptional response. Is the Taoiseach satisfied regarding the position vis-à-vis health and safety issues, particularly in our Air Corps, and can he confirm that?

I thank the Deputy.

When will somebody in government shout "Stop" in respect of this ongoing decline?

First, on behalf of the Government, I want to once again express our very strong support for our Defence Forces - the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps. The Government is very proud of the role our Defence Forces play, whether it is around the world on missions such as in Mali, which I discussed with President Macron yesterday, or in Lebanon, whether it is in the context of what they did last week in helping the civil power to deal with the effects of Storm Ophelia, or whether it is the part they play in so many different ceremonies, including those relating to the centenary of the 1916 Rising last year. We very much support, value and respect our Defence Forces.

As the Deputy will be aware, a very successful recruitment process is currently under way to bring at least 800 replacements into the Defence Forces. Recruitment was never halted even during the recession, unlike in other areas. Also, the budget for the Defence Forces has been increased for next year, which is hugely significant.

In terms of difficulty in recruiting people with particular skills to the Defence Forces, we accept that this is an issue. It is certainly an issue in the Air Corps because pilots and air traffic controllers can be paid much more to work in the same jobs in the private sector. That is now occurring not only in the Defence Forces but in parts of the public service. It is not universally the case across the public service but it is the same in some parts of the service in the context of certain roles, including some within the Defence Forces. What are we doing about it? We are doing two things. First, public sector pay restoration is under way. This is happening across the public sector. We agreed only a few weeks ago with the trade unions an extension to the Lansdowne Road agreement, which provides for two pay increases next year and provides for a full pay restoration for over 90% of public servants within the next couple of years. This action will very much reverse the pay cuts which were a feature of the Deputy's time in government and that continued into the early years of the previous Government. However, those cuts are being reversed now. In terms of some of the new recruits, pay restoration will be in the region of €5,000 a year, which is significant.

When it comes to particular areas within particular parts of the public service in respect of which we have a difficulty recruiting and retaining people because the private sector pays better, the Cabinet last week decided to refer those issues for a detailed study to the Public Service Pay Commission. Some of the areas involved are in health and others are in the Defence Forces. We have particular difficulties in recruiting and retaining people to certain professions in these areas. We look forward to the commission's report, particularly as it will look at the matter objectively. It will study the reasons for the difficulty in recruitment and retention, where it is and is not a feature within particular branches of the public service, and what might be done to rectify matters. It is not all about pay. As the Deputy will be aware, it can often be about other issues. We very much look forward to receiving that report and being able to act on it.

I asked the Taoiseach a very simple question: does he accept - yes or no - that there is a deep crisis within our Defence Forces? His reply does not tally with the testimony of more than 600 personnel in an unprecedented piece of research conducted by the University of Limerick. There has been other supporting evidence regarding this crisis. I also asked whether he is satisfied about the health and safety of people working in the Defence Forces, particularly the Air Corps. I instanced some quotations from the research in regard to genuine fears and concerns about the capacity of the Air Corps and safety issues relating to the corps. I ask him, very simply, whether he is satisfied about health and safety within the Air Corps? He failed to reference the shocking failure in the context of the retention of Army personnel. With recruitment, people come in but others are flooding out. I reference Senator Gerard Craughwell's contribution to the Seanad yesterday. The Senator knows a thing or two about the Army, having served in it previously. He said that never in his experience has the Army, the Naval Service or the Air Corps been neglected so much by Government and never have they been at such a low ebb than is currently the case.

We do not need the kind of typical response we tend get in respect of this matter.

What people are looking for - I refer here to the wives of Army personnel and those who have traditionally been associated with the Army - is some sense of acknowledgement of their plight and crisis. We have been raising this matter for well over a year and there is no sense of a solution coming from Government at all.

To answer the Deputy's question, a crisis, no, but real substantive issues that need to be dealt with, absolutely. We completely accept that there are issues in the context of recruitment and retention in particular parts of the public service, including the Air Corps. In terms of health and safety, the Minister of State with responsibility for defence has received an assurance from the general officer commanding, GOC, of the Air Corps that any issues around health and safety will be dealt with. We have no specific concerns, therefore, in the context of health and safety. The Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, will meet the representative associations to discuss the findings of this particular report. It is important to say that since the report was compiled, PDFORRA has signed up to the Lansdowne Road agreement. It did so in March, which was after the report was compiled. That allowed for the commencement of pay increases and payment in arrears to its members. These improved pay scales have now been implemented and backdated to 1 July. The Minister of State will attend the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, conference in the next week or so.

It is also worth mentioning the kind of investment that is now going into the Defence Forces. There is a capital allocation of €406 million for the next six years, which is very significant. That comprises: €250 million for new Naval Service ships to replace existing vessels; €55 million for armoured personnel carriers as part of a programme running over five or six years; a Cessna aircraft replacement programme, the tender for which is ongoing; €11 million to purchase armoured utility and logistics vehicles; and €5 million for replacement Pilatus aircraft. In terms of barracks, €33 million worth of projects are now at various stages of construction, including: €3 million to upgrade the accommodation in the Curragh; €3.8 million for the locker block refurbishment at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin; and €2.7 million for an upgrade to Custume Barracks in Athlone. By any measure, that is a significant capital investment programme taking place in the years ahead.