Holly Cairns
Question:381. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Defence the steps he is taking to address the low number of women, that is, 7% in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11593/21]
View answerWednesday, 3 March 2021
Questions (381)
Written answers
It is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces in order to increase capability and to better reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve.
As of 31 January 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 8,583 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) personnel. Of this some 601 personnel or 7% were female, broken down as follows:
- Army: 494 Female Personnel
- Air Corps: 39 Female Personnel
- Naval Service: 68 Female Personnel
In line with current policies and commitments a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation in the Permanent Defence Force. For example:
- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework.
- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are committed to gender equality and employ a gender perspective in the planning and execution of operations both at home and overseas and in all policies and regulations. Gender Advisors are available to all Brigades and Services and trained Gender Focal Points are deployed with all overseas units and ships in order to promote a gender perspective in operations.
- A Defence Forces Women's Network was established with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel at all levels of the organisation.
Over the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence, a number of projects will be progressed to ensure the development and promotion of strategies that continue to support increased female participation in the Defence Forces.
In addition, a review of recruitment practices and processes in the PDF, tasked under the High Level Implementation Plan arising from the Public Service Pay Commission report, has additionally examined all aspects of the recruitment process, including diversity, as part of its work. It is anticipated that this report will be finalised shortly.
The Government remains 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.