Arising from the Government Decision on Public Service numbers, which took effect from 27 March 2009, recruitment to the Permanent Defence Force has been suspended with effect from that date.
I am in contact with the Minister for Finance about the implications of the Government Decision on the Permanent Defence Force. In my statement on the Defence Budget, I confirmed my commitment to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at a level of 10,000 all ranks, for which I have secured Government approval in the context of Budget 2010. It is however, too early to confirm the position in relation to further recruitment.
My Department and the Defence Forces are committed to ensuring that all suitably qualified candidates, including those who are members of the Reserve Defence Force, who wish to do so are given the opportunity to join the Permanent Defence Force. The primary focus in recruitment is to attract people with the core competencies required by the Permanent Defence Force. In this regard membership of the RDF is advantageous when applicants are being interviewed in that it affords them the opportunity to augment their own life experiences with those from their time in the RDF in order to display their suitability for enlistment in the PDF. While Reservists are encouraged to apply for positions in the PDF and many do, it is not intended to set targets for recruitment from the Reserve.