THE representative association for 90 per cent of Army has said the Minister for at £150 million to provide an attractive voluntary retirement package.
Mr Quinn's Budget £13 million for early in the Defence Forces.
The general secretary PDFORRA (Permanent E Forces Other Ranks Representative Association), Mr John claimed the voluntary package would not work the financial incentive is unlike to be attractive enough.
The scheme envisaged by Government would see the Defence Forces reduced from strength of 13,000 to 11,500 over the next three years and the profile in the Army lowered. Lucey said a conservative estimate of the cost to the Government was £150 million.
"That does not include the hidden costs in terms of unemployment benefit and pensions that would have to be paid to who fail to find jobs," he added.
PDFORRA has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Department of Defence and is awaiting a formal response, he said. No offer on an early retirement package has yet been made.
Mr Lucey condemned the leaking to the media of aspects of the voluntary retirement plan for the Defence Forces. "It is simply not acceptable that an organisation of our size be side stepped in this way on the major issue of job cuts which threaten the livelihood of our members," Mr Lucey added.
The Estimates showed the budget for the Department of Defence increasing by 4 per cent to £386,857,000. The Army Equitation School once threatened with closure received a 29 per cent increase in funding, most of it from the National Lottery.