Vol. 487 No. 7
13 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the number of vacancies, by rank, that exist in the Defence Forces for non-commissioned officers; and the criteria, if any, used for promotion of NCOs from the rank of corporal upwards. [5263/98]
The current overall strength of non-commissioned officers in the Army is greater than the overall strength provided for in the new organisation. The new organisation of the Naval Service and Air Corps has not been settled as yet, as it is the subject of a special study. Any small number of vacancies that exist in particular ranks will be filled in the normal way. The position in this regard is shown in a tabular statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report.
The procedures and criteria for promotion of NCOs are as prescribed in Defence Forces Regulations A.10 and in administrative instructions issued from time to time by the Adjutant-General. Copies of these Defence Force regulations are available in the Library of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Strength of NCOs Army Units PDF 31 December 1997
|
PDF Army Units |
Rsm |
Bqms |
Cs |
Cqms |
Sgt |
Cpl |
|
Str 31 Dec. 1997 |
31 |
44 |
132 |
284 |
1,106 |
1,869 |
|
Str New Org. |
34 |
37 |
139 |
251 |
1,118 |
1,802 |
|
Difference |
-3 |
7 |
-7 |
33 |
-12 |
67 |
The Minister did not really answer my question about the number of vacancies in the Defence Forces but referred to the new organisation and how the current strength of NCO members is over the limit. However, numerous vacancies have not been filled for several years. There are approximately 4,300 NCOs in the Defence Forces, which is approximately 40 per cent of the total strength. Many of those people were denied promotion opportunities.
In addition, the Minister referred to the criteria for promotion. Army recruits undergo an interview procedure in which points are allocated for certain skills and so on. Since the introduction of promotion on merit for officers they also have criteria for awarding marks. However, there are no marking criteria for NCOs, who comprise 40 per cent of the Defence Forces. The administrative instructions and Defence Forces regulations to which the Minister referred are just a generalisation. It depends on the interview board. That leads to a great deal of frustration. We all harp on about the deafness issue, but 100 matters, including the promotion of NCOs, must be sorted out. I would appreciate if the Minister could examine that issue.
I appreciate Deputy Timmins's understanding of this matter. I would not wish to withhold information from the House. If that happened, it was unintentional. There is no point in looking at the question of vacancies in terms of the old organisation. One has to look at those in the light of the new organisation, and the fact that the figures have not come down to the required level is a difficulty. However, I will take account of problems that have existed for a certain length of time with regard to promotions. Notwithstanding that the numbers are not right, I intend to do a certain amount to improve promotional opportunities for NCOs. We have reached agreement with RACO in relation to promotions for officers. It is necessary to put in place as quickly as possible an interim arrangement to allow a certain number of promotions to be made, even though they are slightly premature in terms of the totality of the new organisation. However, it is necessary to institute courses for potential officers and certain other procedures. What I am doing may not be as much as people want, but it will be a clear indication of my desire to prevent problems relating to promotional opportunity causing other wounds which can fester and in turn lead to more problems.
I appreciate the difficulties, but will the Minister give a commitment to the setting of strict guidelines for the competition for promotion and not leave it so much at the behest of the interview board?
When the Deputy has been in this House longer he will wonder how to find a totally independent board. No sooner do we establish independent boards than Opposition Deputies want Ministers to make decisions. For example, in the case of local authorities, once having powers means saying "yes", they are widely accepted, but the harder decisions are passed back to the Minister. It is very important that the selection process for all appointments should be transparently fair. I do not have enough experience as Minister to comment on what has happened. Obviously the Deputy has personal knowledge that he might give me at another time if he deems it appropriate, and I will certainly investigate it.
