Michael D. Higgins
Question:28 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress to date in implementing the White Paper on Defence. [9013/01]
Other Questions. - White Paper on Defence.
My overall objective as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the country has the Defence Forces it needs and that the Defence Forces continue to be an organisation in which people are proud to serve. That is the overall objective of the White Paper and I can assure the House that implementation is moving ahead quickly and positively.
The Chief of Staff is currently preparing a plan to restructure the PDF in accordance with the Government's decision on overall numbers. That plan will help achieve the following broad goals: to provide a light infantry based force with an appropriate level of all arms capability; to provide sufficient forces and capabilities to meet needs at home and to make a significant contribution abroad; to put in place a more cohesive and better equipped force than exists at present and to provide significant additional resources for equipment and infrastructure broadly within the existing level of financial allocation.
My intention is to have the plan finalised and implemented by the end of 2001 in accordance with the Government decision. It is important that we put the new organisation in place and move ahead with the modernisation of the Defence Forces. It is equally important that the new organisation offers rewarding and challenging careers to Defence Forces personnel.
The White Paper recognises the importance of the career dimension and provides for the preparation of an updated and very comprehensive Defence Forces integrated personnel management plan to address this and related issues. The Chief of Staff is currently drafting that plan and the process is well advanced. A key feature of the plan will be a continuation of the policy of regular recruitment which is now in place in order to achieve an improved age profile in the Permanent Defence Forces.
Arising from the special study on the Air Corps undertaken by Price Waterhouse consultants and reflecting the policy parameters laid down in the White Paper, Air Corps management has submitted a draft implementation plan to me. I have approved in principle the proposed new Air Corps organisation and this will be put in place following the completion of consultations with the representative associations which are at an advanced stage.
As in the case of the Air Corps, the Naval Service prepared a detailed implementation plan which I have approved. Implementation is proceeding, including the putting in place of the new organisation provided for in the plan.
The White Paper provides that the overall strategy for the development of the Reserve Defence Force will be based on the report of the special steering group which reported in 1999. I am pleased that the various recommendations contained in the report have been broadly accepted as providing a general foundation on which the future development of the reserve can be built. Given the dependence of the reserve on voluntary service, I was anxious that there should be an ongoing process of consultation before proposals are finalised. To facilitate this objective, I published the report of the steering group last year and launched a consultative process to seek the views of members of the reserve in advance of the drawing up of an implementation plan.
The implementation of the new structural and organisational changes for the reserve will require about six years to bring to completion. I was particularly pleased last year to announce an unprecedented additional £254 million investment programme in new equipment and infrastructure. This will be funded from payroll savings and from the sales of property surplus to requirements.
I acknowledge the Minister's contribution as regards the £55 million which has been spent on the Curragh.
The concept behind tabling this question concerns the educational opportunities that are now available to members of the Defence Forces. In that regard, I will ask the Minister a question that may not be relevant—
That would not be the first time.
—but he might answer, perhaps by letter at a later date. Tremendous work is being done in developing segments of different barracks at the Curragh. I do not know, however, whether the national school and vocational school there come within the remit of the Department of Defence. If so, will the Minister attend to their refurbishment immediately? If it is a matter for the Department of Education and Science, obviously I will follow it up there. Is the Minister satisfied that his Department and the Department of Education and Science are liaising to ensure that applicants seeking positions within the Defence Forces are aware of all the career opportunities that are available?
To answer the Deputy's first question, I am extremely anxious to make a massive change in what I inherited at the Curragh, and that is happening. The educational facilities within the Curragh complex must be part of that major change. I will undertake to discuss with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, what arrangements can be put in place. There is a massive capital programme for education but I will see to what extent I can assist in ensuring that some of that investment can be steered towards meeting the needs in the Curragh.
I appreciate that.
The career paths, promotional opportunities and educational advancement of its members must be continually upgraded and fostered with the developing Defence Forces so that future career opportunities are such as to encourage the maximum number of talented young people to come into the Defence Forces in the first instance. In that context I am looking forward to the implementation plan and the personnel proposals which the Chief of Staff will provide to see in what way we can further advance what we are already doing. It is widely recognised that educational opportunities at third level for Army personnel are quite good. We will see what happens when the personnel plan is produced.