Delays in the prosecution of the sole suspect in custody in respect of the death of Pte Seán Rooney are to be pursued by the Tánaiste when he visits Lebanon this weekend.
Speaking at the annual conference of Defence Forces representative body PDForra in Cavan on Wednesday, Micheál Martin said he would travel to Lebanon in the coming days in order to raise the case and visit troops serving as part of the international Unifil peacekeeping force in the south of the country.
Pte Seán Rooney (24), from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was killed in an attack on a convoy of Irish peacekeepers in the Lebanese town of Al-Aqbiya in December 2022.
Muhammad Ayyad, the only one of five suspects arrested in the wake of the attack, was charged with a number of offences. His trial was delayed last December when his legal representatives said he was too ill to attend and the proceedings were rescheduled until next month.
Military court in Beirut holds first trial hearing into killing of Private Seán Rooney
Lebanese court charges five Hizbullah members with killing Private Seán Rooney
Tánaiste pays tribute to Pte Seán Rooney at memorial for fallen Irish soldiers in South Lebanon
UN peacekeeping force completes investigation into attack that killed Irish soldier
Mr Martin said he wants to see justice done in relation to the incident.
“I will be in Lebanon at the weekend and I will be raising that case, the need to progress the case, the need to get justice with ministers of the Lebanese government,” he said.
“It will be the focal point of my visit as well as visiting members of our Defence Forces who are now operating in a very challenging and much more difficult environment than heretofore, because of the war in Gaza and the escalating tensions between Israel and Hizbullah..”
Asked about the ongoing issues of recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces, Mr Martin said the Government had been moving on a range of issues including the raising of the mandatory retirement age for members, basic pay and investment in facilities and equipment with a view to making the various roles available more attractive.
“The retirement age has been increased and will increase to 62, so that will help; the starting pay is close to €40,000 which is comparable to large parts of the public service, after which there are considerable opportunities and we are investing very significantly across every barracks in the country.”
During the conference on Wednesday, PDForra’s leadership acknowledged progress has been made, but general secretary Ger Guinan said there were still more than 600 vacancies for privates and more than 400 for corporals or equivalents.
There were not enough personnel to properly train new recruits and existing members could not take the time off they were due. Some 120,000 hours of leave hours have been lost during the past five years due to the lack of a system for allowing for it to be taken or payment made in lieu.
There is also “simmering anger”, Mr Guinan said, in relation to implementing the recommendation of the Independent Review Group in relation to a new internal grievance procedure despite “the acknowledgment by everyone concerned over a year ago that the current system is unfit for purpose”.
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