The unique and challenging nature of military service requires that military personnel are free from the presence or influence of any controlled drug or substance. The Defence Forces conduct Compulsory Random Drug Testing of all employees with approximately 10% of Defence Forces personnel tested annually.
Compulsory Random Drug Testing (CRDT) commenced in the Defence Forces in 2003. The military authorities have informed me that collection of statistical data on the number of personnel tested in Casement Aerodrome did not commence until 2007.
The following table shows the year of test, the number of personnel tested and the number of failures, carried out at the Air Corps Casement Aerodrome since 2007.
Year
|
Number Tested
|
Failures
(Positive Tests)
|
2007
|
166
|
0
|
2008
|
0
|
0
|
2009
|
130
|
0
|
2010
|
9
|
0
|
2011
|
0
|
0
|
2012
|
43
|
0
|
2013
|
44
|
0
|
2014
|
113
|
0
|
2015
|
221
|
1
|
2016
|
48
|
1
|
2017
|
87
|
1
|
2018
|
70
|
2
|
Total
|
931
|
6
|
While information on these individual failures cannot be divulged, there are a number of reasons why a failure may occur:
- the sample provided reveals the presence of a controlled drug or other substance, at a concentration level equal to or greater than the allowable cut off level;
- the sample provided, having been tested by a designated civilian laboratory, reveals evidence of adulteration; or
- an individual refused to have the "B" sample tested on having tested positive on the "A" sample.
The military authorities have advised me that any further information, such as the initial of the surname of the person tested, cannot be divulged as it is seen to be in breach of the Data Protection policy.
In order to preserve the operational integrity of the CRDT process, I have also been advised that details pertaining to randomly selected individuals cannot be released.