The Government has prioritised the Defence (Amendment) Bill for this session. However, as the Tánaiste knows, there are deeper issues within the Defence Forces, including pay allowances and conditions, which require urgent focus. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has agreed in principle to accept the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Organisation, PDFORRA, which is the representative body of active service personnel, as a member. That is the right decision. It is something the Labour Party has argued for in government in the past, and we passed a motion supporting this in the previous Dáil. This would bring Ireland into line with Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Nordic countries, where their armed forces have the right to be involved in their national trade union movement. This is not a right to strike, and we can deal with that issue if it is a concern. PDFORRA is not asking for that right, which we can deal with by way of legislation. This is about putting in place a professional process for the determination not only of core pay, but of all the ancillary issues that normal discussions in a trade union setting provide for, such as contracts and so on. Will the Government approve the affiliation of PDFORRA to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions as has been requested?

As the Deputy probably knows, the Minister is looking at this issue and has been for a while. There are some real concerns about this, which we should not dodge. I am a former Minister for Defence, and while we have to ensure appropriate representation for Defence Forces members, we also have to recognise that the Defence Forces, like the Garda in many ways, are in a different category from other public servants. The State needs to know that it can rely on them in all circumstances. The Chief of staff has expressed some legitimate concerns about this, so we have to work through them to make sure the decisions made in this area are right for both Defence Forces personnel and the State.

I expect the Minister of State at the Department of Defence will be able to come forward shortly to give a detailed commentary and decision on this issue. It is not as straightforward as some people have made out.