Navy bid for higher allowance for mission in the Med goes to arbitration

Claims that Naval Service personnel should be paid more for their humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea have gone to arbitration.

And Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said if a decision fell in favour of a higher allowance, the department will pay.

The minister said he would be perfectly happy to pay extra money, retrospectively, but he had an obligation to apply the current rules on overseas allowances.