Almost 40% of Naval Service crew ineligible for €10k loyalty bonus

Recruits with less than three years' experience are also poorest paid . File picture.

Almost 40% of Naval Service crew are currently ineligible to claim a special loyalty bonus of €10,000 for signing up to sea patrols because they have less than three years' experience.

They are also the poorest paid in the Naval Service and fears have been expressed by military sources that this will create a two-tier navy, which could lead to resentment and potentially damage future recruitment.