I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 37, 47 and 55 together.
The military authorities have advised that there are currently 147 Aircraft Technician vacancies and a robust training pipeline with 64 apprentices currently in training.
In 2021 a new Direct Entry recruitment competition was introduced to complement the existing apprenticeship recruitment stream and this resulted in 3 personnel, who already possessed the necessary technical qualifications to operate as aircraft technicians, being inducted in 2021. 122 applications were received in 2022 and these are currently being processed.
This level of interest in joining the Defence Forces is reflected in the total applications across all competitions, averaging some 10,000 per year in 2020 and 2021 and some 7,000 being received by the end of October 2022, with further applications expected by year end.
The number of female applications accounted for some 12% of all applications received in both of the preceding years and to date in 2022. In line with current policies and commitments, a number of initiatives are already in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation and special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment.
My focus is on bringing the strength of the Defence Forces to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. In addition to the "Be More" recruitment campaign that was launched this year, there are a number of other initiatives which are presently being implemented to counter current staffing challenges including:
- Commitment schemes in the Air Corps and Naval Service
- A special tax credit for seagoing Naval Service personnel
- Re-entry schemes for former personnel
- Ongoing recruitment, including direct entry competitions
- The ongoing review of the scope, and terms and conditions, of direct entry competitions to improve intakes
- Significant progress on pay within the Defence Forces arising from increases from recent pay agreements
The capacity of the Defence Forces to undertake the tasks assigned by Government continues to be carefully monitored to ensure that they retain their ability to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government, both at home and abroad.