Memo on Defence cuts was one among many, Smith argues

A Department of Finance memo seeking major cutbacks in the Defence Forces was one of 40 submissions so far on the forthcoming White Paper on Defence, the Minister for Defence has said.

Mr Smith declined to comment on specific proposals from the Department of Finance because they were "in the early stages of a deliberative process". It would not be "appropriate for me to publish or comment on the specifics of any one submission", he said.

Mr Jack Wall (Lab, Kildare South) said the Department was "using the current controversy regarding Army deafness to drum up support for a radical downsizing of the Defence Forces".

The Minister said he was aware of criticism of the memo but would not intrude on the consultative process. "What is the point of having a consultative process and inviting submissions if we are not going to let the process run its course?"

Mr Wall, whose constituency includes the Curragh camp, had called on the Minister to give his opinion of the "savage" cutbacks.

Mr Smith said the submissions were from a variety of organisations covering the full spectrum of Defence issues.

He wanted all viewpoints because it was the first Defence White Paper.

He wanted to make it clear that the White Paper process was not interfering with the many "positive changes taking place in the Defence Forces at the present time".

Ms Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael's spokeswoman on Defence, found it surprising that the Minister would not comment on this memo. He had a duty to reply to this. She also expressed concern about the Finance proposals for the amalgamation of the Defence Forces to one brigade. "Given the Taoiseach's recent utterances in the Partnership for Peace debate . . . it is ludicrous at this time to be putting forward proposals that effectively scale down the Defence Forces so much so that we could not participate effectively in peacekeeping internationally."

Mr Wall noted an article in The Irish Times by the former chief-of-staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Gerry McMahon, who said Army deafness and other claims should be taken out of the courts and moved to a tribunal or pensions board.

Mr Wall said it was a convincing argument and urged the Minister to adopt it.