Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021
13. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Defence the progress made to date in resolving the low pay issue in the Defence Forces which is making it difficult to retain personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24962/21]
View answer50. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which any outstanding issues in regard to pay and conditions in the Defence Forces have been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24968/21]
View answer276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which issues in respect of pay and conditions in the Defence Forces are resolved or are in the course thereof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4469/21]
View answerWhat is the progress made to date in resolving the low pay issue in the Defence Forces? The operative word in that question is "progress". I listened to the Minister addressing a parallel issue to this earlier and it seems there are plenty of commissions but no progress. Can he give an indication of when we might see progress in the only area that makes much of a difference, namely, pay in the pockets of those serving in the Defence Forces?
I propose to take Question Nos. 13, 50 and 276 together.
There are many reasons individuals may leave the Defence Forces, ranging from individual personal circumstances to career opportunities, having fulfilled their contract or retirement on age grounds. The Defence Forces offer significant career opportunities and while pay has been highlighted as an issue, there has been significant progress in recent years.
Public service pay policy is determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform having regard to public sector pay agreements. The Department of Defence does not have discretion to award separate pay increases, as Deputies understand. The Defence Forces have received pay increases in line with the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, the most recent of which was a 2% increase on annualised salaries from 1 October 2020. The restoration of the 5% cut in allowances imposed under the financial emergency in the public interest, FEMPI, legislation was also restored from 1 October 2020.
In addition to the general round of pay increases awarded to public servants, members of the Defence Forces have also benefited from the implementation of increases in Defence Forces allowances as recommended by the Public Service Pay Commission. These included a 10% increase in military service allowance; the restoration of a 10% cut applied to a number of Defence Forces allowances under the Haddington Road pay agreement; the restoration of premium rates for weekend security duty allowances; and the restoration of a service commitment scheme for pilots.
The introduction of a new seagoing service commitment scheme for Naval Service personnel, which came into effect from 1 January 2021, is aimed at retaining highly trained and experienced personnel and incentivising seagoing duties within the Naval Service. The seagoing naval personnel tax credit of €1,270 was applied in the 2020 tax year for members of the Naval Service who served 80 days or more at sea on board a naval vessel in 2019. This tax credit has been extended for a further year and is increased to €1,500 for the 2021 tax year.
Negotiations on a new public service agreement were held in late 2020 with public service trade unions and representative associations. A new agreement, Building Momentum - A New Public Service Agreement 2021 - 2022, has subsequently been ratified by the overwhelming majority of public sector unions. The Permanent Defence Force representative associations have yet to ballot their members and, accordingly, advise the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, of formal acceptance, or otherwise, of this agreement. The agreement provides for a further increase in pay to all public servants, including members of the Defence Forces, should the representative associations advise the WRC of formal acceptance of the agreement. It includes a general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, in October 2021; the equivalent of a 1% increase in annualised basic salaries to be used as a sectoral bargaining fund, in accordance with chapter 2 of the agreement, on 1 February 2022; and a general round increase in annualised basic salaries for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater on, 1 October 2022.
The Government remains fully committed to addressing pay and conditions in the Defence Forces and this is reflected in the programme for Government. This provided for the establishment of a commission on the Defence Forces, which was established on the 15 December 2020. After completion of the commission’s work, I will consult the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on the establishment of a permanent pay review body for the Defence Forces.
I know there are problems with recruitment and retention across the Defence Forces. I am very aware of these and we are working on them. It is not true to say there has been no progress on pay and allowances. There has been considerable progress in many areas. We need to do more and we will continue to look at those issues. We have to assess the recruitment and retention issues in the round. Pay and allowances are part of that but other factors must also be taken into account.
We are great at lauding the Defence Forces of this country, and we rightly laud them. The Minister referred to some special allowances but they are allowances and not basic pay. Most of the other increases he announced will be given to the public service in general. That does not address the fundamental issue.
The Minister correctly pointed out earlier that the Defence Forces are unique. They are not compatible with the public service in general. For example, members of the Defence Forces cannot strike, as the Minister pointed out, but they do not get overtime either. They are, therefore, in a totally different category. By saying they are included in the public service agreements seems to indicate that we will talk about it but we will not recognise that there is a special underlying issue that needs to be addressed here.
The Minister talked about setting up a special group to look at the pay of the Defence Forces. Can he give an indication of when that will be set up, when it will likely submit a final report and when decisions will be made on it?
There is a commission on the future of the Defence Forces which, as part of its remit and terms of reference, will look at pay structures and allowances for the Defence Forces. What we have committed to in the programme for Government is that on the back of what the commission reports to me before the end of the year, I will consult the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, on the setting up of an independent pay review body for the Defence Forces. The reason for this is the uniqueness, as Deputy Ó Cuív outlined and as I referred to earlier, of serving in the Defence Forces, members' inability to strike and get involved in political lobby and so on.
Serving in the Defence Forces is unique in the public service and requires an independent pay review body that will not just report on a single occasion but will be permanent and will assess pay issues in the Defence Forces each year. That is what the Government has committed to and I look forward to being able to deliver on that.
An international ruling was given that PDFORRA should be allowed to affiliate with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU. I do not think anybody wants this to be adjudicated in a court in this country. The Minister stated he had some difficulties with this. Will he outline what those difficulties are? Will he clarify whether he is considering changing the age limits for members of the Defence Forces or intends extending them? There are serious issues that must be addressed. Will he clarify exactly what the problems are?
On the ICTU affiliation issue, I must be careful in what I say because there is a legal action potentially under way in relation to that. What we are trying to do is reflect the fact that people who serve in the Defence Forces are, in many ways, part of a unique service. They take an oath to the State and commit to not getting involved in industrial action, so they are in a different category.
We need to make sure we put structures in place to recognise that and to ensure that people serving in the Defence Forces are protected in that context. There are different ways of doing that. PDFORRA would contend that the best way of protecting the interests of the Defence Forces is through affiliation with ICTU, particularly around public sector pay negotiations and so on, but there are different views on whether that is the best way to protect the interests of Defence Forces personnel. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, takes a different view, for example. We are looking at both. I have an open mind. I have not ruled out anything. It is not as straightforward as some people maintain.
On the second issue, we spoke about that a lot earlier in some of the previous questions. We have a review coming close to an end on retirement age within the Defence Forces. I hope to be able to bring those recommendations soon.
We are right up against the clock but if Deputy Clarke would like to put the question, I will ask the Minister to supply a written response, if that suits her.
