asked the Minister for Defence the reason Reserve Forces do not qualify for the extra allowance for unsocial hours.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Reserve Forces' Allowances.
40.
I assume that the allowance to which the question relates is the military service allowance which was introduced in May of last year.
This allowance is designed primarily to compensate personnel of the Permanent Defence Force for the many and varied disabilities associated with military life. As well as the liability for long and unsocial hours of duty, those disabilities include the liability to frequent transfers, the binding commitment to fixed periods of service and the restrictions inherent in military discipline. The allowance was also designed to stimulate recruiting to the Permanent Force and to encourage serving soldiers to extend their service. As an incentive to serving personnel to extend their service, a much increased rate of allowance is payable to privates with three or more years' service and to all noncommissioned officers.
The considerations which I have outlined do not in present circumstances apply to personnel of the Reserve Defence Force on full-time service to the same extent as to personnel of the Permanent Force.
The full-time service of reserve personnel is rendered on a voluntary basis; they are not normally required to serve away from their home areas nor are they liable to frequent transfers. Furthermore, unlike men of the Permanent Force, Reserve personnel may terminate their full-time service at will. In the light of the foregoing it is considered that personnel of the Permanent Force should enjoy some differential over their Reserve colleagues and, consequently, it has been decided that the military service allowance should not be payable to Reserve personnel.
I should say that, concurrent with the introduction of the military service allowance, the special allowances for duties of a security nature were substantially increased.
Where Reserve personnel serving in a full-time capacity are employed on duty in the Border area or perform security duties outside of the Border area, Border allowance or security duty allowance, as appropriate, is payable to them.