Sorca Clarke
Question:275. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Defence if he will establish a commission to consider gender quotas and equality of opportunity within the Defence Forces. [25172/21]
View answerThursday, 13 May 2021
Questions (275)
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.
I am 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. This commitment is exemplified in the Defence Forces Equality Policy and the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan.
As of 31 March 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 8,524 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) personnel. Of this some 598 personnel or 7.02% were female, broken down as follows:
- Army: 493 Female Personnel
- Air Corps: 40 Female Personnel
- Naval Service: 65 Female Personnel
In line with current policies and commitments, a number of initiatives are in place 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 in that current campaigns reach out to females via a variety of channels, including social media, sporting organisations and schools.
- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces. In addition, a gender-equality perspective is applied 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 the gender perspective in operations.
- A Defence Forces Women's Network is 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.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Commission on the Defence Forces, as part of its terms of reference, will set out a strategic perspective on all HR policies, and associated strategies in light of the prevailing dynamics of the labour market, while remaining consistent with public sector pay and personnel policy
The Commission is due to issue its report at the end of the year. There are currently no plans to establish a commission to consider gender quotas and equality of opportunity within the Defence Forces.