Vol. 402 No. 2
7 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Defence if he has any plans to change the procedures for promoting Defence Forces personnel; if there will be consultations with the representative associations before any changes are made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The report of the Commission on Remuneration and Conditions of Service in the Defence Forces made a number of recommendations in relation to revised promotion procedures for both commissioned and non-commissioned ranks in the Permanent Defence Force.
In the case of officers, a new promotion scheme based on merit is recommended. In the case of non-commissioned ranks the report recommended the review of the promotion procedures in order to ensure that the best candidates are selected for promotion and that the procedures are fair and are seen to be so.
Considerable progress has been made in the drafting of a new promotion scheme for officers and the promotion procedures for non-commissioned personnel are being reviewed. The new arrangements will be the subject of discussion and consultation with the elected representatives of the various ranks before they are put into effect.
I take it from what the Minister has said that the senior positions which are due to be filled later this year and at the beginning of next year will not be filled on the basis of anything recommended in the Gleeson report.
Already, the Army are taking into account the shape of what the new system will be in the making of appointments. We have made a number of senior appointments recently which were not in accordance with traditional seniority criteria. In anticipation of the new procedures being in place, the Army authorities are cognisant of that and are making their promotion decisions accordingly.
In respect of the proposal in the report for the establishment of a promotions board, I should like to ask the Minister whether that aspect of the new promotions procedure is something with which he finds favour?
I am in favour of something of that kind which would ensure that the system of promotions would not be open to criticism when established. I concur with the principle in that recommendation.
Due to the sensitive nature of this whole issue and the importance of it to morale within the Defence Forces, is the Minister happy that he can act on these proposals within a reasonable time? Is there a fear that it will take a considerable period, after consultation, to act on them?
I would like to regard that as a priority. I agree with the Deputy that the most important single issue from the point of view of morale within the force is to have a proper merit-based system of promotion and one that is seen to be based on merit and to have that clearly established. The Gleeson report openly set out the deficiencies of the present system which was oriented in the direction of seniority; seniority alone was the criterion. We are trying to get away from that system. I would like to see that as a permanent feature within the Army, that it is above and beyond suspicion and is seen to make promotions based strictly on merit at all levels within the Army.
