The Government has been called on to publish the Price Waterhouse review of the Naval Service and the Air Corps, and to give adequate funding to both wings.
The future of the State's vital search and rescue services was now "on the line", the Fine Gael defence spokeswoman, Ms Frances Fitzgerald, warned, while both the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) and PDFORRA also called for the report to be issued.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, must secure some "real funding from our Celtic Tiger economy" from the Minister for Finance, Ms Fitzgerald said.
Speaking on the Order of Business in the Dail, Ms Fitzgerald said the Air Corps was "in crisis" and the Naval Service was "seriously underfunded". Referring to yesterday's report of the review in The Irish Times, Ms Fitzgerald said immediate publication was required for a full debate.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said the review could only be published after it had gone to Government. Ms Fitzgerald said promises to publish had been broken, and the latest commitment was that it was to be issued by the end of this month.
"Since this Government came into office, successive Fianna Fail ministers for defence have hidden behind the Price Waterhouse report as an excuse for their failure to do anything about the defence services," she said. "The serious situation regarding deafness compensation has also added to this sense of drift and to demoralisation in the Defence Forces."
Commdt Brian O'Keeffe of RACO said his organisation was seeking immediate publication, and would not comment until it had seen the full report. "Morale has taken a battering in both the Naval Service and Air Corps," he said. "This review has been two years in the making, with many delays, and we were promised consultation before publication."
Mr John Lucey, secretary of PDFORRA, gave the report's findings a broad welcome, including the recommendation to purchase an eighth ship for the Naval Service, but said this fell short of the navy's own demand for a 12-ship fleet. "The fleet has to be replaced anyway," he said, referring to the proposed renewal programme. He was concerned about the recommended increase in days at sea and the emphasis on cost-efficiency.
A cash input was long overdue, and the organisation had consistently argued that the Defence Forces could not reach their full potential without this, he said.
PDFORRA intended to ask the Minister for Defence "a few hard questions" when they met next Tuesday, Mr Lucey said.
