No firm proposals have been made about recruiting members of the FCA on short-term contracts to the permanent Defence Forces to serve overseas, according to the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith. The Minister had been criticised by Mr Jack Wall (Lab, Kildare South) who said the initiative to recruit members of the FCA had been proposed without consultation with the groups representing Defence Force personnel, PDFORRA and RACO, and had affected morale.
Detailed consideration of the proposal had only just begun according to Mr Smith, whose address was read by the Minister of State for Health, Dr Tom Moffatt. Once proposals had been formulated, however, he would review them. When that was done he would consult all interested parties should any change in the present situation be recommended.
