The Taoiseach has clarified the status of the deal entered into by the Minister for Defence and the representatives of the Defence Forces concerning the overall numbers within the Army, Navy and Air Corps.
Mr Ahern told the Dail yesterday that a note signed on February 24th by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, offering concessions to the Chief of Staff, Lieut-Gen David Stapleton, will be included in the final version of the White Paper on Defence to be published within three weeks.
The deal which was reached last week, after controversy over proposals to reduce numbers in the Defence Forces, confirmed that the maximum numbers would be 10,500. However, in a concession to the Defence Forces, the Chief of Staff would have an option to recruit a further 250 personnel. While the deal was not included in the version of the White Paper published on Tuesday, a copy was placed in the Dail library yesterday.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said the confusion over the status of the note resulted from either a "deliberate and mischievous attempt to distort the very genuine interests of the Government or a failure to understand normal Government procedures".
He said it had not been possible to include the note in the version of the White Paper released on Tuesday as the Cabinet had only approved the document three hours before its official publication.
The Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said the publication of the White Paper had turned a sorry saga into a farce.
He accused Mr Smith of undermining morale and inviting conflict with senior Army personnel. Mr Quinn was speaking during the resumed debate on an Opposition motion condemning the Minister for the "damage caused by his reluctance to engage in a full and meaningful consultative process with senior military personnel, the representative bodies and the FCA". The Government moved an amendment commending the Minister for the completion of the first White Paper on defence. It was carried by 76 votes to 72.
The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) has welcomed what it describes as a "significant step" by the Minister for the Defence, Mr Smith, to appease concerns over the future of the Naval Service.
The Minister has given a verbal commitment to implement a new organisational structure for the Naval Service which will streamline command and control, according to RACO. A spokesman for the Minister would only say yesterday that this agreement was close to completion and "all but signed off".