Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Feb 2000

Vol. 514 No. 5

Written Answers. - Defence Forces Reserve.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

29 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence the total numbers in the FCÁ and An Slua Muirí; the annual cost of pay, gratuities, expenses and allowances to them, excluding the cost of the pay and allowances of members of the Permanent Defence Force attached to their units; and his views on whether the costs involved are nominal in the context of the overall Defence budget. [4492/00]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

The following table sets out the strength of the FCÁ and of An Slua Muirí as at 31 December, 1999.

Effective Strength at 31/12/99.

Total Second Line Reserve	13,844
FCÁ	13,513
Slua Muirí	331

For the year 2000, a figure of £5.67 million has been allocated in respect of the costs of the training of the second line reserve as follows:

	£m
Pay/Allowances etc.	3.402
Gratuities	0.765
Messing Allowance	0.794
Conveyance, Travel and Subsistence	0.624
Miscellaneous Expenses	0.085
Total	5.670

The levels of remuneration applied to volunteer reservists are the samepro rata as those applied to their rank counterparts in the Permanent Defence Force.

The future development of the FCÁ and An Slua Muirí will be based on the framework of the recommendations of the ministerial steering group established in 1998. Following upon a comprehensive military board review of the RDF, the steering group reported in September 1999. That report will be published in due course in order to facilitate further wide ranging consultations which will feed into the drafting of a formal implementation plan. The full implementation of the recommendations would probably take about six years.

The steering group were particularly mindful of the need to preserve and to retain the very many traditional and well established strengths of the current reserve system, not least the admirable spirit of individual voluntary commitment, close social links with local communities and a good depth and scope as regards nationwide geographical spread.