Vol. 391 No. 6
asked the Minister for Defence the establishment level of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service; the actual personnel numbers for each; if it is intended to bring the personnel numbers up to establishment level; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
23.
asked the Minister for Defence when he will bring the Defence Forces to full strength; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 19 and 23 together. The total establishment of the Permanent Defence Force is 17,980 broken down as follows: Army, 15,476; Air Corps, 1,227; Naval Service, 1,277.
The strength of the Permanent Defence Force on 30 June 1989 was 13,051 broken down as follows: Army, 11,290; Air Corps, 819; Naval Service, 942.
The strength of the Permanent Defence Force is kept under constant review in the context of military requirements and overall budgetary constraints. It is not possible at this stage to say when the next intake of recruits will take place.
Can the Minister of State tell us if he has the figure for the number of personnel who have left the Defence Forces because of poor pay and the inability of the previous Administration to deal with this matter and if the new Government plan to take any new initiatives in this area?
I can give the Deputy the average monthly figure for each of the last three years. In 1988, the monthly average was 82; in 1987, it was 82 and in 1986, it was 71.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Order, please. I call Deputy Ferris.
I am aware, Sir, as you are, that in my constituency the strength of the Defence Forces is of vital importance. Despite the controversy over the salary scale quite a number of young people are happy to avail of the challenge posed by Membership of the Defence Forces and in that way to set their first opportunity of obtaining employment. I am anxious that the Defence Forces is kept at full strength and for the other matter to be dealt with separately. To my knowledge there have been many resignations.
I have already indicated that the wastage in the Defence Forces now is no greater than it has been in previous years. I would also like to point out, in regard to the establishment figures, that the actual numbers in the Defence Forces have never been higher than 70 per cent of the establishment figures. That is in recent and not so recent times. Therefore, there has been no great outflow from the Defence Forces over the past two years as the figures show.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Order, Deputy Paul Connaughton is offering.
A Cheann Comh-airle——
I will call Deputy Rabbitte.
——I want to continue the question I posed to the Minister of State. Nobody suggested that the phenomenon of the demoralisation of the Defence Forces occurred only during the last couple of years, certainly it was exacerbated during that time. My question to the Minister of State was whether the new Government plan to take any new initiatives to deal with the worsening position in the Defence Forces?
As I said, the Government are deeply conscious of the situation. The new Government will be dealing with this matter in due course.
May I take it that, because of a recent Government announcement before the election of the relocation of a helicopter to Shannon, numbers in the Air Corps as a result will have to be increased? I find it difficult to understand why the Minister did not inform the House today that despite that announcement extra numbers have not been drafted or will not be drafted into the Air Corps. There are grave problems with their numbers already.
The Deputy is raising a rather specific matter now.
That is a separate question.
It is not.
I shall be dealing with that subject later on.
I want now to come to deal with the priority question, No. 36, in the name of Deputy Pat McCartan.
