Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
8. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the average buy-out fee that serving soldiers were asked to pay to end their contract in each of the years 2017 to 2019 and to date in 2020. [10083/20]
View answerThe following table provides details of the number of Defence Forces personnel that discharged by purchase in each of the years 2017 to end April 2020, the amount received by the Department and the average cost for these discharges.
DEFENCE FORCES - DISCHARGE BY PURCHASE
|
Year |
No. of Personnel who Discharged by Purchase |
Amount received by the Department from Discharge by Purchase |
Average Cost |
|
2020* |
77 |
€37,620.50 |
€488.58 |
|
2019 |
367 |
€241,149.75 |
€657.08 |
|
2018 |
290 |
€143,782.60 |
€495.80 |
|
2017 |
315 |
€109,233.49 |
€346.77 |
*To 30/04/2020
It should be noted however, that the average cost is not reflective of the amount paid by the majority of personnel. Of the 1,049 personnel who have discharged by purchase since 2017, 46% have paid discharge costs of less than €100, with a further 46% paying between €100 and €300.
Discharge by purchase occurs when a Non Commissioned Officer or Private elects to leave the Defence Forces and pays an appropriate sum to discharge, in accordance with Defence Force Regulation A10 Para 61 (3). Recruits can also elect to discharge by purchase and a significant proportion of recruits, approximately 22% on average, depart from the Defence Forces during the training phase for various reasons.
Monetary sums in relation to discharge by purchase are assessed on a case by case basis depending on years of service, undertaking etc. The guidelines associated with determination of the amount payable on discharge are contained within DFR A10 Para 58(H), DFR A10 Para 61 and DFR A15 Para 19(2).
