Written Answers Nos. 119-125
119. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence to outline the extent to which agreement and provision has been made in respect of members of the Defence Forces who are due to retire on foot of service, but who are keen to remain on for an extended period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35136/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I, along with my colleague Mr Brendan Howlin, T.D., Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, have accepted the findings of the Adjudicator’s Report in respect of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) claim under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme in relation to the service limits for Privates and Corporals who enlisted post 1 January 1994.
The report of the Adjudicator was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 4 March 2015.
Military life places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals and it is necessary that its members be physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations and to undertake their duties on deployment overseas. To this end, it is vital the age and health profile of personnel be such as to ensure that operational capability and effectiveness are not compromised in any way.
I believe that the key elements of Defence Forces manpower policy have been maintained with this finding. The adjudication, strikes a reasonable balance between the need for regular throughput/turnover of personnel, while also retaining appropriate experience and expertise.
120. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence to outline the extent of the recruitment proposed or required in respect of the Army, Navy and Air Corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35137/15]
View answerThe Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising of 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, at 31 August 2015, the latest date for which details are available, was 9,082, comprising 7,337 Army, 726 Air Corps and 1,019 Naval Service.
The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of each of the three services. As there is significant turnover of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force targeted recruitment has been and is currently taking place so as to maintain the agreed strength levels.
A total of 157 personnel have been inducted into the Army to date in 2015 from the panels formed from the General Service recruitment competition which was launched in March 2014. The induction of a further 80 Recruits in the coming months will result in these panels being exhausted. A new General Service recruitment campaign for the Army was launched on 4 August 2015. The induction of successful candidates from this competition is expected to commence in early 2016.
A recruitment competition for General Service Recruits for the Naval Service was launched on 6 March 2015. The selection process for this competition is progressing and 40 personnel have been recruited from this panel this month. It is planned that a further 40 will be recruited from the same panel in December 2015.
The intake of Cadets into the Permanent Defence Force is normally carried out on an annual basis taking into consideration the operational requirements of the Defence Forces and the resource envelope allocated to Defence. 10 Air Corps Cadets were inducted on 21 September 2015, 9 Naval Service Cadets were inducted on 22 September 2015 and 30 Army Cadets were inducted on 5 October 2015.
Direct Entry Competitions are held as required from which specialist appointments are filled. To date this year, 19 Instrumentalists and 5 Engine Room Artificers have been inducted for the Defence Forces School of Music and Naval Service respectively. It is expected that 25 Air Corps Apprentice Trainee Technicians, a Conductor for the Defence Forces School of Music and a Medical Officer will be inducted by the end of 2015.
With the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, it is intended to retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government both at home and overseas.
121. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence to set out the extent to which the number of women in the Army, Navy and Air Corps has fluctuated in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35138/15]
View answerThe following table sets out the strength of females in the Permanent Defence Force, broken down into Army, Air Corps and Naval Service for the years 2011 to 2015 (31st August, 2015).
|
- |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Army |
467 |
482 |
450 |
464 |
459 |
|
Naval Service |
68 |
70 |
65 |
64 |
60 |
|
Air Corps |
30 |
30 |
31 |
35 |
31 |
|
Total |
565 |
582 |
546 |
563 |
550 |
The Deputy should note that the strength figures for the period 2011 - 2012 include personnel who were on secondment to, and being paid by other organisations, or on career breaks. Figures since 2013 have been calculated on the basis of actual numbers serving on that date, excluding those members who are on secondment to, and being paid by other organisations, or on career breaks (i.e. whole time equivalent).
The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. The Defence Forces have no restrictions as regards the assignment of men or women to the full range of operational and administrative duties. All promotions and career courses are open to both genders on merit.
The Defence Forces prides itself on providing a gender neutral working environment. Policies on equality are being constantly communicated to all ranks. The military authorities are alert and vigilant to this issue and are committed to addressing this matter in a continuing and proactive manner.
As previously advised to you, a number of specific initiatives have been implemented to increase female participation in the Defence Forces including:
- The introduction of best practices in recruitment, such as the adjustment of physical standards for female applicants;
- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment;
- A balanced composition between men and women on recruitment and selection boards;
- All promotions and career courses are open to both sexes on merit and;
- A Gender Adviser has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces.
I believe that a key issue in recruiting and retaining female personnel lies in societal perception and attitudes to female soldiers and officers. I am hopeful that through continued engagement and communication, this perception will change over time.
122. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence to set out the extent to which all outstanding moneys due from the United Nations in respect of overseas deployment of the Army, Navy and Air Corps have been paid up to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35139/15]
View answerThe UN reimburses some personnel and Contingent Owned Equipment costs in respect of contributions of personnel to UN led operations. Rates of reimbursement, fixed in accordance with UN categories of equipment and personnel, are agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding between Ireland and the UN for each mission. The missions for which Ireland is currently entitled to reimbursement of some troop and equipment costs are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights.
Since 1 January 2015, approximately €8.1 m has been received from the United Nations in respect of reimbursement of troop and other costs associated with the participation of Defence Forces personnel in UNIFIL and UNDOF. As of 30 September 2015, the amount currently owing to the Department of Defence by the United Nations in respect of the UNIFIL and UNDOF mission is approximately €1.8 million. In addition, the Department of Defence has an outstanding claim with the United Nations for €6.4 million in respect of repatriation costs of equipment from the MINURCAT mission in Chad. Negotiations are ongoing with the UN in respect of this claim.
Ireland is not entitled to any reimbursement in respect of Defence Forces participation in EU-led and NATO-led missions as all troop contributors to such missions are responsible for their own costs.
123. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the Law Society of Ireland is provided with any State funding. [34982/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Law Society is the professional body for solicitors and exercises statutory functions under the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2013 in relation to the education, admission, enrolment, discipline and regulation of the solicitors' profession. In this capacity, the Law Society is not, as such, a directly State-funded organisation and levies fees on its own membership. Indeed, details of its accounts are published in its annual Reports and Consolidated Financial Statements which are publicly available including on the Society's own website, www.lawsociety.ie.
At the same time, and for the sake of completeness, the Deputy will also wish to be aware that the Law Society does receive some indirect public funding support as a participating partner in the Skillnets and Finuas Network programmes which have their own dedicated websites and annual reporting cycles. I understand that these programmes are co-funded through the National Training Fund operated under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills. The Skillnets initiative, established in 1999 (www.skillnets.ie), actively supports and works with business sectors in Ireland to keep them competitive and to create new jobs through training and up-skilling, including work activation and placement in areas of employment potential. The Finuas Network (www.finuas.ie), in operation since 2009, aims to maintain Ireland's top position in the international financial services sector and in its provision of ancillary legal and other services and to support their continued competitiveness and growth.
124. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality to set out the current levels of service being provided by An Garda Síochána in a Garda station in an area (details supplied) in County Cork; if the hours which this station is manned by Garda personnel have been reduced; if she is aware of the strong opposition of the community to the downgrading of the service in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35005/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of resources.
I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of the Macroom Garda District, in which the station the Deputy is referring to is situated, was 65 on the 31 August 2015 the latest date for which figures are readily available. The Garda Station in question is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m and there is one Garda assigned to it. These arrangements are subject to available manpower. Outside of these hours, persons who require a policing service can call the District office in Macroom which is open on a 24 hour basis. The Garda Commissioner has informed me that there are no plans to downgrade or change the opening hours of the Garda Station in question.
I am advises that local Garda Management closely monitors the deployment of resources, patrols and operational strategies in place for the area concerned, to ensure the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.
125. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality to outline her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding redeployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35093/15]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that, in line with redeployment procedures provided for in the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014, 9 members of staff were redeployed from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to my Department on the 1st July 2013. These staff were assigned to the Financial Shared Services Offices in Killarney, which was about to take responsibility for managing additional payroll services.
My Department, while not a party to the proceedings referred to by the Deputy, understands that it was agreed among the parties concerned that a number of options would be explored and examined, including the facility for staff to transfer to appropriate position in Tralee.
The Deputy may wish to note that, in accordance with the outcome of those proceedings, my Department has facilitated the transfer of two of the staff members concerned from my Department to positions in another public service body in Tralee. These transfers are imminent. I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department will facilitate the transfer of the remaining staff should suitable opportunities arise.
