Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
6. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he has examined the possibility of extending contracts past 50 years of age for members of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4079/20]
View answerThe age and fitness profile of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) was an issue of serious concern during the 1990's and was the subject of severe criticism in a series of external reports. One of the key areas identified for urgent action was the development of a manpower policy with an emphasis on lowering the age profile of PDF personnel. As a result new terms and conditions were introduced for personnel enlisting after 1 January 1994 and new contracts for enlisted personnel were for a period of five years' service. Since that time, the maximum period of service was extended out to twenty-one years for Privates and Corporals.
Arising from an adjudication in 2015, the adjudicator recommended that a review be conducted on the service limits for Privates and Corporals recruited to the Defence Forces post 1 January 1994. This adjudication resulted from a claim from PDFORRA seeking extensions in the service of these personnel to age 50. While the adjudicator did not rule in favour of PDFORRA, he did recommend an extension of service limits for Privates and Corporals in receipt of Tech Pay Group 3 or higher pending completion of the review.
This recommended review is now being subsumed into a broader review of service limits for all enlisted personnel, as provided for in the White Paper on Defence and more recently in the "Strengthening our Defence Forces – Phase One” high level implementation plan (HLIP). The HLIP provides that consideration be given to options to tackle barriers to extended participation in the PDF, including the possibility of extending retirement ages for members of the PDF. Given the complexities involved it was decided to approach the HLIP project in two phases as follows:
- Phase 1 – Review of Mandatory Retirement Ages (MRAs) for Officers
- Phase 2 - Review Contracts of Service for Enlisted Personnel.
The review of MRAs for officers is currently on-going, with the review of contracts of service for enlisted personnel due to commence later in 2020.
Pending completion of the review (of contracts of service for enlisted personnel), the service extension for Privates and Corporals, enlisted post 1 January 1994, has been revised, to the end of December 2022, provided the individual meets certain criteria, including medical grades and fitness tests and does not exceed 50 years of age in that time frame. This measure was agreed with PDFORRA. Following further discussions, it was also agreed that Sergeants enlisted in the PDF would also be allowed continue in service to the same date, subject to their meeting agreed criteria in the interim period.
