Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would not think it is because, reading the report, 80% of employees are in the €20,000 to €60,000 pay scale bracket. Is it any wonder we are haemorrhaging people out of the Defence Forces? Has that been looked at? Has a retention mechanism been looked at? A total of €9.9 million, if I am correct, was given back in Vote 36. Where can the dots not be joined on retention over recruitment? It seems to be possible to recruit administrative staff, who are on a higher pay scale, with more success than front-line staff, which is what we require. We have six ships, two of which are manned with personnel and four - a quarter of a billion euro worth of capital - sitting at piers somewhere in Ireland. The Department's efforts regarding recruitment pale in comparison to spend. Retention issues are not being addressed at all. Are exit interviews done?