Lisa Chambers
Question:1954. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of additional recruits the Defence Forces have taken on to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25781/16]
View answerFriday, 16 September 2016
Questions (1954)
Written answers
The 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.
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, the establishment of the Permanent Defence Force and available resources. As there is significant turnover of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force, targeted recruitment takes place so as to maintain personnel numbers at or near the agreed strength levels as set out above in accordance with available training capacity.
I am advised by the Military Authorities that 244 General Service Recruits have been enlisted into the Army and 47 General Service Recruits have been enlisted into the Naval Service, to date in 2016. It is envisaged that there will be a total intake of some 636 General Service Recruits in 2016.
I am further advised that 43 Army Reserve Defence Force Recruits have been enlisted to date in 2016. A recruitment campaign for the Reserve Defence Force is currently underway and further details are available on www.military.ie.
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. The 2016 Cadetship campaign is now closed. It is expected that 70 Army, 15 Naval Service and 12 Air Corps Cadets will be inducted before 31 December 2016.
Direct Entry Competitions are held as required from which specialist appointments are filled.
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.