Sorca Clarke
Question:6. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Defence the measures that his Department is taking to implement parity of healthcare between officers and enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces. [58288/22]
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Defence Forces
I was somewhat taken aback when the issue of parity of healthcare was raised with me again. I had understood that there was a commitment given about a year and a half ago that this issue would be resolved, hence the reason I am perplexed that it is still ongoing. Can the Minister confirm what outstanding issues there are, if any, what action he intends to take to address those outstanding issues and the timeline for same?
In fairness, I am surprised that the Deputy is perplexed that these issues have not been resolved because this is a commitment in the programme for Government to address this issue but this is through the lifetime of the Government. I hope to make a great deal of progress in the next 12 months but this is not an easy thing to address and there is quite a cost to it. I believe it will cost us approximately €10 million a year. This is, incidentally, money well spent in addressing this issue and fully responding to the commitments which have been made in the programme for Government.
As the Deputy may be aware, the programme for Government contains a commitment to “ensure that all enlisted members of the Defence Forces have the same access to health care as officers currently do”. This commitment was endorsed by the Commission on the Defence Forces and is also one of its recommendations and we will deliver it.
Currently, a wide range of medical services is provided to members of the Permanent Defence Force at State expense.
These include an annual medical examination, sick parades, attendance at GP surgery outside of sick parade and out-of-hours GP services, prescription services, laboratory services, physiotherapy, chiropody, radiology, mental health services provided by a psychiatrist and two psychologists, inpatient and outpatient public hospital charges and routine dental treatment. In addition, commissioned officers and members of the Army nursing service can avail of private consultant appointments and diagnostic tests as well as private or semi-private hospital treatment, depending on rank.
In the case of Defence Forces personnel assigned to longer term overseas administrative posts such as the European Union Military Staff and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, these personnel and any accompanying dependants are provided with global comprehensive medical insurance for which a formal arrangement is in place with a health insurance provider. This involves the organisation paying the difference between a basic minimum payment and the cost of a global plan. The provision of this range of benefits is unique in the public and private sectors and these benefits are exempt from benefit-in-kind taxation.
We will come back. We are way-----
If I could finish, I just have a couple of lines. A working group on medical care was established in 2021 to bring forward proposals and identify an approach to implementing the programme for Government commitment, including analysing the range and cost of treatments currently provided to officers and how best to provide this access to enlisted personnel.
I will do my best on other questions.
I hear you.
Just generally, we are on Other Questions and I want to ensure everybody gets in. Every question is important to the Member asking it.
Not to be pointing at the calendar, but the Government has been in place for over half the length of its potential term and members of the Defence Forces are hearing this is something the Government might get around to at some point in the near future. Will the Minister come back to the House or the committee with an updated list of what the proposals were, what action was taken in relation to each of them and which are outstanding?
I suspect what is happening here is a reflection of the conversation we had earlier on doctors' availability and staffing level. In this vacuum of misinformation, other data is being put out there that is not factual. If the Minister could do that, it would be immensely beneficial for this House, the committee and members of the Defence Forces.
If there is misinformation, I am not responsible for it in this instance. We have a working group looking at this. The group reported earlier this year and the matter is being progressed as one of the early actions in the high-level action plan of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. It is in black and white and was part of the negotiation in terms of Estimates for next year because we want to progress it next year.
Let me be clear: we made a commitment in the programme for Government to do this. There is a significant cost to it but we will progress it and get it down. There is no misinformation there. I am putting it on the record. This is something the Government is committed to doing and we will look to progress it next year. It is not straightforward to provide these services overnight.
It is important to congratulate PDFORRA for the work it has been doing on cross-Border healthcare for many of its members in the absence of progress on this issue in the past. A member of the Defence Forces, whether an officer or in the ranks, should get the same access to medical treatment. For those who serve in uniform, that should be a common health support the State provides and it is part of the deal when people sign up.
The Minister is correct to name PDFORRA as one of the driving forces of cross-Border healthcare but we need to see an end date at which members do not need to cross the Border to get the healthcare they need and deserve in a timely fashion and can go back to full recovery where possible.
I do not believe I used the word "misinformation". If I did, it was not my intention. I meant a lack of clarity and a vacuum. It is a specific timeline and specific challenges and events in this area need to be addressed. That is where clarity is lacking.
It is a commitment as an early action, which means we are looking to get on with it next year. This is not a simple thing to do. It costs money. We have to account for that, put it in Estimates and work with the representative bodies in the Defence Forces to make sure we are progressing it in a way that works. That work is under way. We have a working group that is focusing on this. It has already produced its first report. As a result of that report, we have the delivery of this commitment as part of the early actions which means they are prioritised to move forward next year.
Defence Forces
Marc Ó Cathasaigh
Question:7. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Defence the progress that has been made on fulfilling the Government commitment to increase recruitment in the Defence Forces by 2,000 by 2028; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58350/22]
This issue has already been teased out in the discussion this morning. There is a well-acknowledged issue around recruitment and, in particular, retention in our Defence Forces. I ask about the progress made on fulfilling the Government commitment to increase recruitment in the Defence Forces by 2028.
I thank the Deputy. The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces made it clear that the level of ambition, LOA, for the Defence Forces needed to be elevated beyond that at which it is operating. In that context, the Government approved a move over a six-year period to a level of Defence Forces capability equivalent to LOA 2 in the report. This will require an additional 2,000 personnel beyond the current establishment figure of 9,500. Because we are well below 9,500 now, the figure is slightly above 3,000, rather than 2,000, to get to where we need to be by the end of 2028.
The Defence Forces are developing strategies to increase recruitment and address the current shortfall in numbers. The target is to realise a Defence Forces strength of 11,500 by 2028, incorporating an appropriate civilian component. A joint civil-military implementation management office has been established to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement the recommendations of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. A number of early actions arising from recommendations in the report are also being progressed.
A number of initiatives are under way to counter existing staffing challenges. General service and direct entry recruitment is ongoing and has resulted in 358 inductions as of 31 October this year, with further inductions due to take place before the end of the year. A separate recruitment competition has been launched specifically for Air Corps recruits, who in the past were drawn from a wider general service recruitment pool.
The re-entry schemes for former personnel have boosted specialist numbers. The terms and conditions and scope of direct entry competitions remain under consideration, as does the maximum recruitment age for all competitions. The "Be More" recruitment campaign, launched this year, highlights the career opportunities available in the Defence Forces and the wider benefits of membership in line with a recommendation of the Commission on the Defence Forces that these be made known.
I thank the Minister. One of the central challenges, which is well understood and which Deputy Berry talked about, concerns medical officers. We are in an economy close to full employment and there are working terms and conditions elsewhere, such as being able to go home at 5 p.m., which make the Defence Forces less attractive.
The Minister rightly acknowledged that the numbers have changed and travel is in the wrong direction. My numbers have it that we are at 8,100 personnel in the Defence Forces, the lowest in 15 years. While we are recruiting a total intake of 150, we have lost 375. By losing those people, we lose the skills and experience they have acquired over the years. Serious work is needed to turn that ship around.
I am more than aware of that but before starting to build numbers, you have to stop the losses. We are at that moment of changing momentum, I hope. We have an enormous financial commitment from Government and a policy framework to do that. We also have a plan of action linked to an independent report put together over a 12-month period.
Since I have come into politics, there has never been a stronger focus and priority on trying to build, grow, expand and invest in increasing the size of the Defence Forces. We are at the end of a period of reduction and losses. We need to consider what we have decided in recent months on pay and conditions for instance. Someone joining the Defence Forces now will be paid €5,000 more than someone who joined six months ago. Those decisions were made at budget time by the Government. A range of things are happening, including pay, conditions, culture, equipment, accommodation and medical provision. The overall package is improving significantly.
I acknowledge that much of that increased commitment and focus is down to the Minister’s genuine interest in this area. I know he has a genuine interest in the Naval Service in particular. We have never seen the need for us to control our own waters more clearly demonstrated. I am thinking currently but am also looking ahead. There will be increased activity as we develop our offshore resources, particularly our energy resources. We will see increased connectivity in energy. Our gas connectors are obviously critical, as are information systems. We need to be able to patrol those waters as we begin to develop that. Ireland will become important internationally and across Europe as we build superconnectors and try to unlock that renewable energy resource. It all speaks to the need to continue the work to which the Minister is genuinely committed. We need to travel in the right direction.
I live a few miles from the naval base and know it well. I go walking and running there fairly regularly. Nobody is more focused than I am on getting our Naval Service back up to the strength it should be at. We are about 275 people below where we should be, which is impacting on our ability to crew vessels. We have just decommissioned three ships, not because we could not crew them despite some of the commentary but because they are old and needed to be moved on. At the start of next year, we will bring in two ships from New Zealand. They require smaller crews and are much more modern vessels. Let us not deny that the Naval Service has a big challenge with recruitment and retention to get to where we want to be so that we can ensure that the Naval Service can do what we are asking of it, not only in fisheries patrols, drug interdiction and the other sovereignty and security issues, but also some of the new infrastructure it will need to protect when it is built. I assure the Deputy that there is an absolute focus on getting the Naval Service back to where it needs to be.
Defence Forces
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:8. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Defence the number of Permanent Defence Forces personnel inducted and discharged by rank to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58280/22]
Cathal Berry
Question:9. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel inducted and discharged by rank to date in 2022. [58474/22]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:18. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Defence if he will detail according to rank the number of vacancies in the Defence Forces in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58286/22]
Cathal Berry
Question:33. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Defence the number of vacancies that exist in the Defence Forces by rank. [58475/22]
I ask the Minister the number of Permanent Defence Forces personnel inducted and discharged by rank to date in 2022.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 9, 18 and 33 together.
We have already touched on some of these numbers, but I will go through them again. I note that tables of details of inductions, discharges and vacancies in the Defence Forces were requested and I will arrange for the Deputies who requested them to get them in writing so that there is no misunderstanding on where we stand on numbers.
Recruitment and retention difficulties in the Defence Forces have been previously acknowledged. In addition, the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces made it clear that the LOA for the Defence Forces needed to be elevated beyond that at which it is currently operating. In that context, Government approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces capability equivalent to LOA 2. This will require an additional 2,000 personnel beyond the current establishment figure of 9,500. As we said earlier, the figure is now higher than 2,000.
As I outlined in response to the previous questions, the Defence Forces are developing strategies to increase recruitment to address the current shortfall in numbers and to plan for future increases. The target is to realise a Defence Forces strength of 11,500 by 2028, incorporating an appropriate civilian component.
A range of initiatives are under way to counter the existing staffing challenges. In respect of recruitment, there is ongoing general service and direct entry recruitment with further inductions due to take place before the end of the year. A separate recruitment competition has also been launched specifically for Air Corps recruits, who in the past were drawn from the wider general service recruitment pool.
The scope, and terms and conditions of the direct entry competitions remain under ongoing consideration. The campaign to re-enlist and recommission former members of the Permanent Defence Force has also boosted specialist numbers. The "Be More" recruitment campaign, launched this year, highlights the career opportunities available in the Defence Forces and also the wider benefits of membership, in line with one of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces to enhance the visibility of the wider benefits of membership of the Defence Forces.
Retention measures being implemented include service commitment schemes in the Air Corps and in the Naval Service and the seagoing naval personnel tax credit. Pay has improved as a result of increases arising from the Public Service Pay Commission report and from recent pay agreements as well as the early implementation of some of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Agreement has also been reached on the extension of service limits for privates and corporals. I recently agreed an interim arrangement with the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, in respect of sergeants.
My focus is on bringing the strength of the Defence Forces to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.
I will outline some of the numbers available to me. There were 735 discharges and 452 inductions as of 18 November 2022. That is a net loss of 283. We have not reached the turning point of achieving net increases given the recruitment and retention challenges we face. As I said at the start of this Question Time, we will meet every month to focus on recruitment and retention until we turn those numbers around and start to build numbers rather than managing losses.
I compliment the Minister on his efforts with that regular monthly engagement. I ask the Minister to detail for me, as a layperson in this field, what exactly happens at these monthly meetings. Are targets set? Are action points left to the various stakeholders? What is the general run of those meetings? Given the number of questions tabled today and most months, there is a tacit acknowledgement that there are significant challenges, as the Minister has acknowledged repeatedly again this morning. I ask him to give the general run of those meetings. Are targets set? How do we gauge that we will ultimately reach the turning point he mentioned?
I thank the Minister for those figures. I accept he is equally concerned at the shortfall of 283. Most parts of the public service are expanding apart from the Defence Forces. I agree that retention is a massive issue. The Minister may not be aware that there are six married quarters in Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, which members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence visited about ten days ago. It is an excellent model. If the pay issue cannot be resolved immediately, perhaps accommodation could be used as a retention tool. There are six houses in Baldonnel which are excellently managed. There are no issues with overhaul in any shape or form. People living on base are military families and are rotated every year or two. There is plenty of space in Baldonnel to increase the number of houses there. We spoke to the general officer in command who said he would be in favour of the principle. Would the Minister consider providing more housing on base for military families to take them off the social housing list and use it as a retention tool?
We do set targets at the monthly meetings, not only for the remainder of this year, but also for next year. We are also planning investment programmes for the year ahead. For example, we are finalising a concept brief for the transformation of Gormanstown as a specialist training centre dealing with significantly greater numbers than we can currently deal with. We are planning for the induction and recruitment of up to 1,000 people per year through such a facility, working with the Curragh and other facilities.
Much thought, planning and consideration is going into how, over the next six years, we can realistically get to the stage of having 3,000 more people in the Permanent Defence Forces than we have today. This would mean an average net increase of about 500 people each year, especially if we are going to be losing between 400 and 600 people per year. It is not unreasonable for an organisation to have a turnover level of between 7% and 9%. We need to get those numbers down as much as we can. However, we have to anticipate that people will be retiring and leaving the Defence Forces. We need to plan for those numbers and we are planning. We have the money to do it, as well as the policy basis.
Ultimately, this is about making a career in the Defence Forces more attractive in terms of pay, conditions, certainty, culture, adventure, career opportunities and development of skill sets in a combined package. Following the commission's report and some of the actions we have taken in recent months, they have improved significantly, but we need to continue this. A policy decision was made to move away from putting married quarters in barracks for reasons the Deputy will probably understand, relating to difficulties in the past. I accept there is accommodation within Baldonnel that is working well. I have an open mind, but we need to think through all the choices we make.
We all acknowledge the issues and they are well documented, and the Minister acknowledged the challenges himself. I refer to the figures of 735 discharges and 452 new inductions. What portion of the 735 discharges are due to retirement? The Minister rightly acknowledged that as with nurses, doctors or any other job in the public sector, there will be a natural turnover of staff. Can the Minister provide an estimate of how many are discharged naturally through retirements?
I thank the Minister for his reply on housing. If he has not visited the small campus of six houses, perhaps next time he flies out of Baldonnel, he might ask to see it and eyeball it himself. It is an excellent model that could be expanded upon.
I agree that a policy decision on housing in the Defence Forces was taken a couple of decades ago, but that was prior to the housing crisis. It is appropriate that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage takes the lead, from a national point of view, in tackling the crisis. However, the defence apparatus could also make a contribution, an example of which would be to provide and manage properly housing for military families in Baldonnel and the Curragh while they are in the military. It would double as a good retention tool and assist in dealing with the national housing crisis.
In truth, to provide the number of houses required to make a significant impact on recruitment and retention would need a huge capital investment programme. That is not the direction of policy we have taken in recent years. I am not ruling anything out, but providing housing for personnel, to keep them in the Defence Forces, will be a mainstay of our recruitment and retention strategy in the coming years. It may have some niche roles to play within certain elements of the Defence Forces, but it is unlikely to be a mainstay. Pay and conditions as well as supports, such as medical facilities and provision, are likely to have a much greater impact. Let us look at the historic turnover to put things into context. Turnover was 8.26% in 2018; 10.01% in December 2019; 7.4% in December 2020; 8% in 2021; and 10%. Turnover is between 7% and 10%.
We are over time.
I will finish on this point. Quite a number of Members asked a question in this grouping.
It is not true to say the Defence Forces are unique in terms of vacancies across the public sector. There are recruitment and retention issues across the public sector, be it in healthcare, An Garda Síochána, or the Defence Forces, as well as in many other specialist areas.
We are way over time.
Our challenge within defence is to be dynamic enough to be able to respond to that and turn those numbers around, and that is what we intend to do.
Extra time is allocated when questions are grouped, and there were six minutes for this grouping.
Defence Forces
Niamh Smyth
Question:10. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Defence the way that it is proposed to strengthen the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58381/22]
David Stanton
Question:27. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 361 of 11 October 2022, when he expects the next recruitment campaign for the Reserve Defence Force to open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57629/22]
I want to ask the Minister when the next campaign to enlist people into the Reserve Defence Force will commence. What shape will it take and will it be a dynamic campaign?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 27 together.
I am always happy to answer questions on the Reserve because it is an area of the defence family I want to prioritise and, in the past, perhaps it may not have had the priority it needs. The Government remains committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force, RDF. Indeed, the White Paper on Defence has fully acknowledged that there is a clear need to retain, develop and grow the Reserve.
The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which was published last February, serves to reinforce that commitment. As the Deputy will be aware, the report contains many recommendations on the future role and structure of the RDF. A civil-military implementation management office has been established to support the implementation of the overall programme, initially focusing on some 38 early actions to be completed within six months of the Government decision, as set out in the high-level action plan. Two such actions relate to the RDF, namely the establishment of the office of Reserve affairs, ORA, and the development of a regeneration plan for the Reserve. It is clear both of these early-action plans are directly linked and the establishment of the ORA will be an essential first step in tackling the revitalisation of the Reserve. Planning by the military authorities, in collaboration with my officials, has commenced on establishing the ORA. Once it is established, it will be actively involved in implementing the accepted recommendations of the commission, which will serve to create a Reserve force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force, nationally and internationally. We now have legislation that allows us to do this. This process will also take into consideration the other recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the Reserve, including that the future establishment of the Reserve should be increased and should include, at a minimum, an air force reserve of 200 and a naval reserve of 400.
The Deputy may also be aware that a recruitment drive for the RDF was launched this year, on 21 March 2022, which was advertised across a number of media channels. Recruitment liaison officers across the RDF conducted local recruitment to attract applicants for this campaign. I am advised that more than 1,000 applications were received during this window, which is encouraging. To date, 88 RDF recruits have been inducted into the Defence Forces, and the processing of eligible applicants is continuing. The military authorities have advised that once this body of work is completed, consideration will be given to the launch of a further recruitment campaign in mid-2023. I assure the Deputy that it is my intention, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure the momentum behind the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained throughout 2023 and the coming years.
It was encouraging for me to see what happened over the summer. We launched a recruitment campaign for the Reserve, for which more than 1,000 people applied. We had to close the application process because the applications beyond that number would not have been manageable in the short term. What that says to me, unlike the impression often given, is that there is a strong appetite to join the Defence Forces, including the Reserve and Permanent Defence Force. Our challenge is to turn that into numbers of people who actually join, commit and stay in the forces. We can do that with many of the changes that are being proposed now. It is important to give the message that we will open a new recruitment campaign for the Reserve. We want people to join the Reserve.
It is going to be a valued part of the overall defence family. It is going to get a lot more resources in the years ahead and will also be doing a lot more, including overseas.
I thank the Minister for that response. I will also say "well done" to the Department and the military authorities for the work they have done in this area. However, it seems that 88 inductees to date out of 1,000 applicants is quite a small number. Will the Minister indicate what is going on with the other people who have applied to join but have not been taken on? Have people withdrawn? Is it a matter of fitness issues or other issues? A figure of 88 out of 1,000 seems quite small. Is the new recruitment campaign that is to begin in 2023 to begin when these 1,000 applications, which have been closed, have all been processed? Will the Minister comment on whether inclusion and diversity, particularly the latter, are being promoted as part of this recruitment campaign?
This 88 will not be the final number from the 1,000 who applied. Assessment is ongoing. As people who have been in the Defence Forces will know, in order to progress applications, medicals and security checks need to happen. A series of tests is required before a person can be inducted into the Defence Forces, including the Reserve. That process is under way for many more applicants. In truth, we have faced some challenges. We need to learn some lessons to improve the next time around. For example, the pressure the Permanent Defence Force has been under in providing medicals for those looking to join the Reserve has been an issue as regards resourcing and capacity. We have looked at outsourcing those medicals to GPs. We need to improve those structures to make sure that, when there is an appetite to join, we can turn that appetite into increased numbers.
The other question I asked was about diversity. Is that a factor in the recruitment campaign? Will the Minister give us an indication as to when the office of Reserve affairs will be up and running?
Diversity is an issue for the permanent Defence Forces and for the Reserve. My understanding is that, as of 31 October, the effective female strength of the Reserve Defence Force is 199 members. We need a lot more than that. All recruitment campaigns will be focused on trying to ensure the Defence Forces reflect Irish society, which is as diverse and gender-balanced as it possibly can be. I suspect I will get an update on the office of Reserve affairs later on. The plan was to have it set up within six months of the Government decision, which means that it needs to be done in the next couple of months.
Defence Forces
Richard Bruton
Question:11. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Defence the actions that have been taken to upgrade Ireland's defence system in response to the recent commission on the subject. [58431/22]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:25. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the delivery of the early actions outlined in the high-level action plan for the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and if all targets will be met. [58287/22]
Bernard Durkan
Question:26. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the reforms in the Defence Forces identified in a recent report are being put in place with particular reference to all of the major recommendations including recruitment, pay and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58360/22]
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Question:53. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces of February 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57959/22]
Bernard Durkan
Question:190. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which the Defence Forces are being upgraded in line with the recent report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58645/22]
Bernard Durkan
Question:197. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the ongoing steps to implement fully the recent report on the Defence Forces as it affects the Army; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58652/22]
I welcome the 25% increase in the capital budget for defence and the greater ambition the Government has committed to for the Army, Naval Service and other dimensions. What progress has been made on this transformation agenda which, as set out in the commission's report, extends to the digital environment, gender, human resources, culture, command and restructuring? I would particularly like to hear what progress has been made on the 34 early actions that were to be delivered within six months.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 25, 26, 53, 190 and 197 together.
The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government. As Minister for Defence, I welcomed the publication of the report of the commission on 9 February. The commission has undertaken a significant body of work encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommends significant changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. It covers high-level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding. It is no coincidence that four chapters of the commission's report focused on how we deal with people in the Defence Forces with regard to culture, people management, complaint management and so on.
Given the significance of the recommendations contained in the report, detailed consideration was undertaken by my Department and the Defence Forces, working together over a period of five months. This involved significant interdepartmental consultation. My officials and I have engaged with stakeholders to ascertain their views. Following this engagement, I returned to the Government with a high-level action plan and a memo for Government, which were approved on 12 July. This involved the approval of a move to LOA 2, as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces. This will result in the defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028. In other words, the budget is index-linked. This is the largest increase in defence funding in the history of the State and will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified in the commission's report. The recent budget for 2023 included an increase of €67 million over the 2022 budget and an additional €47 million to provide for the agreed increase in pay. This budget includes an increase of almost 25% in capital funding and demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to supporting the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern and agile military force capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.
The move to LOA 2 will require an additional 2,000 personnel over and above the current establishment. Work has already commenced on this with the recently announced recruitment campaign, ‘"Be More". Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for military radar capabilities, including primary radar, and the establishment of an office of Reserve affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force. The high-level action plan was also approved.
The high-level action plan set out 38 early actions to be completed within six months of the Government decision, including immediately progressing the following pay structure measures: the provision of immediate access to the seagoing service commitment scheme to direct entry personnel in the Naval Service; the removal of the requirement for a three-star private or able seaman to mark time for the first three years at that rank; and the payment of the full rate of military service allowance to all personnel at the rank of three-star private or able seaman, which is essentially a pay increase of €5,000 a year.
The high-level action plan set out proposed implementation and oversight structures. An implementation oversight group has been established, which met for the first time on 3 October. Subsequently, Ms Julie Sinnamon was appointed as the independent chair of the implementation oversight group. A second meeting took place on 17 November. A high-level steering board has been established, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, to oversee the implementation. A civil and military implementation management office, IMO, has been established to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement recommendations from the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The initial focus of the IMO is the implementation of the 38 early actions as set out in the high-level action plan and the development of an implementation plan. Reporting mechanisms have been established to facilitate regular progress reports on the early actions to the IMO and the civil and military strategic management committee. Significant progress has been made on the implementation of these 38 early actions, with the vast majority of early actions at an advanced stage. I have every confidence that the majority, if not all, of the early actions will be completed within the agreed timeframe.
The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and the current events in Ukraine are prompting an open debate and consideration of our defence requirements. I fully accept there is an ongoing requirement to consider whether the capabilities we maintain are appropriate, having regard to the security environment, the roles we wish the Defence Forces to undertake and likely risks.
I know the Deputy appreciates and understands the need for structures with regard to delivery to ensure policy certainty and on-time delivery. He has delivered such structures as a Minister in multiple briefs in the past. That is the kind of approach we are trying to take here. We want to have clear structures, reporting structures and people who are responsible for delivery and who will hold me and others to account if we do not deliver on what we have committed to over a period a time. There is going to be six years of action, development, growth, expansion and increased investment. We have an awful lot of work to do given the trends we have seen in recent years, which have continued into this year, whereby we are losing numbers rather than gaining them. I hope that next year will be a turning point.
I welcome the appointment of Ms Julie Sinnamon and the addressing of pay anomalies.
I wish to also ask about a few other specifics. Key positions are needed to drive the transformation: head of transformation; head of HR; head of digital; and head of gender. Have those been advertised? They are crucial to starting a real transformational change. Other changes are needed to the working time legislation as well as bringing in external capacity for change within the management structures, and progress on Army and Defence Forces design. I would like to dig a little deeper into the Minister's confidence that these all will be delivered by 12 January, which is not that far off.
I compliment all of those involved in the proposals to modernise the Defence Forces. In view of the urgency to bring forward the recommendations, has specific responsibility been allocated with a specific timescale for each of the recommendations? To what extent has this been progressed so far and is in progress thereto?
The high-level action plan is the document the Deputy will need to have a look at. The plan itemises 38 early actions and there is a range of other actions that go beyond this as well.
Deputy Bruton raised some specifics, the first being applying the working time directive to the Defence Forces. We have made a lot of progress on that this year. We are, effectively, finalising the consultation process at the moment. This involves the general staff, the Department and representative bodies in the Defence Forces to make sure we get the balance right between the necessary exemptions to the working time directive that have to be there to allow the Defence Forces to operate as the Defence Forces, while at the same time limiting those to the essential areas that are necessary, so the working time directive applies to the vast majority of the work the Defence Forces do.
On advertising for the positions of head of transformation and head of HR, we now have approval from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which we must get before we can advertise new posts, particularly at this level. The head of transformation will be a senior post in the Defence Forces, reporting to the Chief of Staff. We now have the green light from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to advertise that early next month. I believe it will be advertised on 6 December. Advertising for the role of head of HR will follow closely after that, which I believe will be on 16 December. I may stand corrected on those dates, which I cite just from memory. Either way, both positions will be advertised in December: one early in December and one around mid-December. These two key roles will be filled by civilian experts, who will then be part of the Defence Forces structure that focuses on the transformation that is needed and on the HR challenges we have discussed this morning. They are specific actions. Those positions will be advertised in the next few weeks.
I welcome the decisions on those two posts. The report made clear that it is about changing culture, changing the command structures and restructuring the Defence Forces. They are major shifts. I ask the Minister not to forget about the appointments relating to digital transformation and gender transformation. They are equally important posts for the long-term transformation.
On my Question No. 26, and the associated written questions, I have been pursuing an issue for approximately 25 years with regard to the need in the Defence Forces for ongoing provision in an area that is facing increases in demand, responsibilities, and modernisation. Will the Minister indicate if it would be possible to extend the cadet scheme to plan for the continuity of the increase in the strength and the anticipated dropout and provide for this before it happens? Perhaps military entrants could avail of continued education while serving in the Defence Forces to enhance the position and make it attractive from the point of view of enlistment.
One of the big attractions of the Defence Forces is that a person can continue his or her education, and in many cases it is paid for by the Defence Forces. A big part of the Defence Forces is the opportunity to upskill and to get promoted. One of the changes we are looking to make is to provide more certainty and transparency around those promotion opportunities for career advancement and so on within the Defence Forces, and to back this up with the opportunities to upskill and to return to education, with a view to this benefiting the skill set within the Defence Forces.
On the digital aspect, in the commission we are being asked to provide what is called a "cyber command" within the Defence Forces in the future. This means a more structured and larger cyber and digital expertise within the Defence Forces. We have some good people in the cyber and digital unit in our Defence Forces but it needs to be a bigger unit and it needs to be plugged in more directly to the Chief of Staff and to what will become the headquarters for the Defence Forces, and likewise on gender.
We will move onto the last question. I am afraid Deputy Paul Murphy will not get his full time.
EU Meetings
Paul Murphy
Question:12. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the matters that were discussed when he met with his counterparts at the recent EU defence Ministers meeting in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58138/22]
On Tuesday last week, the Minister met with his counterparts at the EU defence Ministers meeting in Brussels. The Council launched the EU training mission of the Ukraine armed forces. Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy is reported as saying that up to 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in different member states. Austria has decided not to participate because it is a neutral state, yet Ireland is participating in a full-spectrum military training mission of an army that is involved in a war. How is that not a breach of neutrality?
It is not a breach of neutrality, just like us providing funds through the European peace facility to help Ukrainian defence forces protect their people is not a breach of neutrality either.
That is-----
We are not aligned militarily but we are absolutely entitled to take sides. In my view, if we had not taken sides in this war we would effectively be taking the side of the oppressor. I do not believe the Irish people would support that course of action.
The most recent Foreign Affairs Council in defence ministers format took place in Brussels on 15 November. There were three items on the agenda: a working session on current affairs; a working session on defence capabilities and operational realities; and a working lunch focusing on an informal exchange of views with the Minister of Defence of Ukraine and the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
The current affairs session covered a range of topics including: the EU military assistance mission in support of Ukraine; possible Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, engagement in Niger; Operation Atalanta; the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity; and the current financial situation of the European Peace Facility.
The second working session marked the first annual ministerial discussion on defence capabilities and operational realities, as committed to in the framework of the Strategic Compass.
The meeting closed with a working lunch and informal exchange of views focusing on Russian aggression against Ukraine, including its global implications. The Ukrainian Minister of Defence participated by video teleconference to brief Ministers on the latest developments as well as Ukrainian priorities and needs on the ground.
In advance of the Foreign Affairs Council in defence ministers format, I attended a meeting of the European Defence Agency steering board where Ministers exchanged views on the main findings of the 2022 Coordinated Annual Review on Defence, CARD, report in the areas of defence spending, defence planning and defence co-operation.
I thank the Minister.
Will I have time to come back or are we closed off? It is important to get this on the record.
Maybe, just to-----
We can go back and forth
I will not be allowed.
It is not that the Minister is not allowed; it is that I must comply with the time limits. Deputy Murphy is entitled to come in now.
I want to hear from the Minister because what is happening is a full-scale military training mission. To quote from the Council of the EU press statement, the aim of the mission "is to enhance the military capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces". The fact sheet states that includes operational training; preparation of companies, battalions and brigades in collective manoeuvres and tactics up to battalion level; and advice on the planning, preparation and conduct of live firing exercise. I do not see how participating in military training of an army that is involved in a war is not a breach of military neutrality. Austria is not participating because it is militarily neutral. I presume the Minister will say we will be involved just in training in de-mining. Can he give a guarantee that is all Irish troops will be involved in, or could this expand? Does he not accept that there should be a vote in Dáil Éireann on participation in a conflict? Participation in any war requires a vote in Dáil Éireann under the Constitution. Training one side in a war surely constitutes participation.
Does the Minister agree, taking into account his recent comments on the triple lock and the fact that we will now be part of a military training mission and military funding in a war situation rather than participating in peacekeeping, that it would be timely for the Oireachtas to set up a joint committee to see how best Ireland can fulfil its constitutional obligations under Article 29 of the Constitution, which specifically commits us to peaceful resolution of international disputes?
I spoke about this at some length last night in the Seanad. I have given a clear commitment to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence that I would discuss with the committee the way in which I believe the triple lock mechanism should evolve. I do not believe that it is okay to continue on the basis of relying on a UN Security Council mandate to send Irish troops abroad if that mandate may be blocked by the use of the veto, given current tensions between P5 member states of the Security Council. I do not believe that Russia, China or any other P5 member should have a veto over where Irish troops go. That is all. We are not proposing to change the long-standing policy of military non-alignment and military neutrality and we are not breaching that policy in helping Ukraine to defend itself against aggression. I would like to see this House be more critical of the aggressor in this war rather than the country that is trying to defend its people and whose capital city-----
Táimid thar am.
-----was 70% in the dark last night because of the deliberate targeting of civilians-----
Minister, we are way over time.
Can the Minister give a guarantee that we will be involved only in training in de-mining?
-----by a country that Deputy Murphy does not seem willing to criticise.
I ask the Minister to answer the question. Will he give a guarantee that it will be only de-mining?
Instead the Deputy is focused on criticising a Government decision to help a country to defend itself and its people.
Will the Minister please give a guarantee that it will be only de-mining?
Thank you, Deputy.
Will the Minister please answer the question?
There is no finalisation as to what the role will be but-----
There is no guarantee then. I thank the Minister.
The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is standing. That is the end of questions to the Minister for Defence. Thank you. Táimid thar am. Thug mé deis daoibh teacht isteach. Bhí solúbthacht i gceist - I gave flexibility - and we are now way over time.