Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 June 2004
77 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel from the other ranks commissioned as officers in the Defence Forces in each of the past five years; if there are plans to increase the numbers commissioned from the ranks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17811/04]
View answerA total of 28 non-commissioned officers have been commissioned as officers in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service in the past five years.
Potential officer courses, or POCs, are held for non-commissioned personnel from time to time within the Defence Forces. Personnel who successfully complete such courses are commissioned as officers in the Permanent Defence Force. Participants on such courses are selected on a competitive basis. In addition, from time to time non-commissioned personnel who hold appropriate qualifications are commissioned to fill specialist appointments where vacancies arise. Eligible non-commissioned personnel may also apply for the annual cadetship competitions. The requirement for potential officer courses and commissioning from the ranks, or CFR, competitions is reviewed from time to time and is being specifically addressed in the context of the integrated personnel management system, or IPMS, which is one of the major policy initiatives provided for in the White Paper on defence. The IPMS will make specific and ongoing provision for the introduction of regular schemes to commission enlisted personnel as officers in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service.
Draft conditions governing the appointment of enlisted personnel of the Permanent Defence Force to be officers of the Naval Service are under discussion with the representative associations. As the discussions with the representative associations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment on any of the specifics of the proposed draft conditions. However, it is the intention that a potential officer course will be run as soon as those discussions have been completed.
