Dept of Defence ‘ignored pleas for military families’, says former social worker

The former head social worker for the Defence Forces has said he was ignored repeatedly when he warned Department of Defence officials about increasing poverty levels being endured by serving military personnel and their families.

Mervyn Ennis, who was head social worker with the Defence Forces for 23 years, said it had to be obvious to everybody how serious the situation was, especially as the two schools in The Curragh had been classified as Deis by the Department of Education as they were deemed to be in economically disadvantaged areas.

Mr Ennis said there was a “very high concentration” of children from military families attending these schools.

He took up his post in 1991, just after the Gleeson Commission highlighted the need to improve pay and conditions for military personnel.

“It was good [for Defence Forces members] up until 2008 when savage cuts of 15% to 20% in wages and the Universal Social Charge was introduced,” said Mr Ennis.

“This had an immediate and devastating effect on personnel.

“If somebody was separated and they were paying maintenance they weren’t able to do it from then on. I came across cases of lads sleeping in cars.

One chap, who a senior NCO, was sleeping in a car. I had another lad who was sleeping in a barracks and couldn’t get access to his children because they couldn’t come in there.

“He was referred to a homeless unit. Others didn’t have money for food. The chaplaincy knew this too and they were saying it.

"I would report these things to the military [commanders] and they would pass it up the line [to Department of Defence officials].”

Mr Ennis said that when there was no reaction, he took it upon himself to speak directly to department officials on several occasions.

He said: “I was told by a department official: ‘At least they have a job.’ The department simply don’t care.”

He attended last month’s protest in Cork organised by lobby groups to highlight the plight of Defence Forces members, the lowest-paid public servants.

Mr Ennis pointed out that retired Brigadier General Ger Aherne and former Lieutenant Colonel Dan Harvey had spoken about the hardships facing soldiers, sailors, and aircrew.

More recently Commandant Cathal Berry, second-in-charge of the special forces Army Ranger Wing, resigned his commission to highlight the plight of his men.

“These people are not making up stories,” said Mr Ennis. “There needs to be a root-and-branch cleanout of civil servants in the department.

"We need a US-style system that cleans out when there’s a new government coming in, or you’ll end up with the same lads pushing the paper around and there’s no real change.

"That’s happening in other departments as well.”

Mr Ennis said he was grateful that The Curragh schools had been given Deis status because they were getting extra resources.

However, he said The Curragh was a shadow of what it once was.

“At one time there was a picture house there, a dancehall and two churches,” said Mr Ennis.

“The bus service is even very irregular. The whole thing is like desolation row.”

He said because the issues were being ignored, morale in the Defence Forces is at an all-time low and is getting lower each day.

“That’s why the lads are voting with their feet and leaving,” he added.