THE Minister for Defence and for the Marine has deferred signing offers of early retirement to members of the Defence Forces, it emerged yesterday.
Early retirement packages of single payments and pensions had been made to three officers but Mr Barrett has referred these back to the Defence Forces for "assessment", a spokesman confirmed.
The officers concerned are Capt Garvin McGinley, who has been offered a position as national Organiser for the Progressive Democrats Capt Denis Murphy, who has been offered a position with a computer company and another Army captain, from Cork, who died recently after a long illness.
Mr Barrett's decision follows inquiries, by some of the 130 other officers about the criteria for early retirement. It is understood he has decided to defer signing any of the early retirement offers until June 6th when the application period for this year's retirement packages closes.
Almost 1,200 military personnel, or just under 10 per cent of the Defence Forces, have applied for the 450 early retirement packages available this year. However, the Defence Forces is seeking a reduction of 2,300 members over the next three years.
55 places were offered to and 400 to non commissioned officers (NCOs). More 1,000 NCOs are understood have applied for early retire this year.
Those eligible for early retirement include members who are medically unfit for soldiering, over the age of 50 or those among the officer cadet classes of the mid 1970s when there was a surge in recruitment because of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Capts McGinley and Murphy are understood to both be in the category arising from the cadet classes of the mid 1970s.