Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2011
46 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the optimum strength of the Defence Forces, Army, Naval Service and Air Corps; the strength of the officer corp; the degree to which the numbers will be maintained in the future with particular reference to the need to ensure that the strength of the forces is maintained at an adequate level to meet any emergencies that may arise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12073/11]
View answerI assure the Deputy that, within the resource envelope available for the defence portfolio, I will endeavour to ensure that the Defence Forces are organised, equipped and staffed such that they will retain the operational capability necessary to allow them to deliver the services required of them by Government. The approved employment control framework, ECF, for the Defence Forces is based on a figure of 10,000 members of all ranks appropriately configured across the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps. In 2011, the defence organisation, like all areas of the public service, is operating on a reduced budget. The programme for Government sets out a target for further fiscal consolidation during the period to 2015.
In the context of the ECF and the available resource envelope, the military authorities and officials of the Department are in the process of agreeing a restructuring of the Permanent Defence Force to ensure its capability to meet the roles assigned to it by Government. I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 30 April 2011, the latest date for which figures are available, was 9,658, comprising 7,864 Army, 790 Air Corps and 1,004 Naval Service personnel. The total number of commissioned officers serving as of 30 April 2011 was 1,352.
Overall numbers in the Permanent Defence Force, including numbers serving at various ranks, will be subject to ongoing control and monitoring on a monthly basis. This is to ensure compliance within the overall parameters and controls set by Government for each sector. The ECF also sets out that it will be necessary to underpin the reorganisation with the required amendments to regulations and administrative instructions.
Officials in my Department, in consultation with their colleagues in the military, are currently critically examining defence expenditure as part of the comprehensive review of expenditure, to which I referred in respect of an earlier question and which was recently announced by Government. The Government's decisions arising from the comprehensive review will further inform the resource envelope available for defence over the coming years and the priorities within the area of defence. I am advised that at this time the Defence Forces retain the capacity to undertake the tasks laid down by Government both at home and overseas.
I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. In light of the pivotal role the Defence Forces play in dealing with emergencies caused by flooding, fires and inclement weather conditions by assisting with evacuations, etc., will the Minister provide an assurance that the degree to which the Defence Forces are likely to be able to respond to such emergencies in the future will not — even in the context of the current and difficult economic circumstances — in any way be affected or impeded by any review that will take place? I also refer in this regard to the search and rescue services and other emergency services provided by the Defence Forces both on shore and off.
I assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that the Defence Forces are able to meet their various obligations, that they will retain the capability for doing so and that they will have available to them the assets they require. The Deputy might be interested to know that some targeted recruitment and promotion is still being carried out within the Permanent Defence Force in the context of the agreed employment control framework and subject to the resources available. To date in 2011 some 261 personnel have been recruited for general service. This very much takes cognisance of the need to ensure that we have available to us the critical personnel necessary to ensure that the Defence Forces can do what is required of them, both domestically and overseas, and that they are ready to be of assistance to the civil authorities in dealing with any emergency that may arise, be it climatic in nature or of some other type which we may not yet be in a position to anticipate fully.
I cannot allow this occasion to pass without asking the Minister to provide an assurance that the ceremonial role undertaken by the Defence Forces, which was highlighted during the past week, will not in any way be impeded in the future. I raise this matter in light of the pride felt by people throughout the country regarding the way in which members of the Defence Forces deported themselves in recent days.
As the Deputy may have heard me state earlier, I am of the view that the Defence Forces were outstanding during the past week. The ceremonial role they undertook in recent days in respect of both the dignity of the ceremonies that took place and the manner in which this country presented itself to the outside world was of substantial importance. I wish to provide the Deputy with every assurance that there is no issue of any description with regard to the Defence Forces continuing to play such a role. However, I do not wish to underestimate, in any shape or form, the important role the Defence Forces played in aid of the civil power, namely, the Garda, in dealing with security issues and in maintaining security at essential locations in advance of the arrival of both Queen Elizabeth ll and President Obama. I commend the Defence Forces on the action they took in respect of issues which arose during Queen's visit, in particular, when their members were called out on a variety of occasions to deal with hoax devices placed at different locations, hoax telephone calls and a small number of devices which may have posed a danger to the public. Defence Forces personnel dealt with the latter with extraordinary professionalism. For this, they deserve our congratulations.
