Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021
282. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of women in each branch of the Defence Forces; the extent to which these numbers have fluctuated or are likely to so do; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25463/21]
View answer295. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Army in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25476/21]
View answer296. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Naval Service in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25477/21]
View answer297. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Air Corps in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25478/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 282, 295, 296 and 297 together.
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 31st 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% were female, broken down as follows:
- Army: 493 female personnel
- Air Corps: 40 female personnel
- Naval Service: 65 female personnel
The following table details the number of personnel inducted and discharged, by Branch and gender, from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021.
|
Army Male |
Army Female |
Air Corps Male |
Air Corps Female |
Naval Service Male |
Naval Service Female |
|
|
Inductions |
415 |
33 |
53 |
6 |
88 |
9 |
|
Discharges |
421 |
27 |
44 |
3 |
79 |
4 |
Personnel discharge for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges. Discharges also include trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.
The Government remains committed to returning to, and maintaining the agreed strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel as set out in the White Paper on Defence (2015). In order to achieve this target, as well as a broad range of retention measures, there is significant on-going recruitment.
