Legislation could see Defence Forces brought under EU working directive by year's end

Mr Berry said one of the reasons the Defence Forces are still the 'lowest paid public servants' is because the Working Time Directive hasn’t yet been introduced.

Legislation is expected to be enacted by the end of the year to bring the Defence Forces under the remit of the Working Time Directive (WTD), but it is unlikely military grade radar systems and sonar for ships will be acquired before 2028.

That’s according to members of the implementation oversight group for the Commission on the Defence Forces, the head of which has admitted it will be “massively challenging” for the military to achieve its recommended minimum 11,500 personnel by 2028.