Barry Cowen
Question:23. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Defence the status of the implementation of the Strengthening our Defence Forces - Implementation Plan. [34679/21]
View answerTuesday, 29 June 2021
Questions (23)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, the Report of the Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC) on Recruitment and Retention in the Defence Forces was published on the 4th of July 2019. The Report was accepted in full by the Government at that time and, to facilitate implementation, an extensive High Level Plan titled "Strengthening our Defence Forces – Phase One” was also agreed and published on the same date.
There are fifteen projects in total, the status of which is as follows.
The immediate pay measures set out in the plan i.e. an increase in Military Service Allowance, the reversal of 10% cuts to allowances under the Haddington Road Agreement, and the restoration of weekend premium rates for overtime were implemented immediately upon their acceptance by the PDF Representative Associations in late 2019. A service commitment scheme for pilots was also re-introduced, with very positive uptake.
On the project Review of Technical Pay Groups 2 – 6, sanction has recently been received from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to proceed with the recommendations in the report. This will now be progressed through the Department’s Conciliation and Arbitration Process.
The Review of Pay Structures project, led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, was intended to examine pay structures in the Defence Forces and to fall under the new public service pay agreement “Building on Momentum”. However, in the intervening period, the Commission on the Defence Forces was tasked with examining pay structures and also with some aspects of pay under the sectoral bargaining arrangements of this agreement.
The recommendations of a further project dealing with incentivised long service arrangements for NCOs and other ranks, will be considered in the context of the sectoral bargaining element of “Building on Momentum”.
The project relating to Bespoke Management training for leaders and managers was completed in July 2020. The project on Non-Pay Retention Measures in the PDF was completed in October 2020. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was launched by me on 2nd December 2020. A further project to develop a Professional Military Education strategy was completed in March 2021 and the Strategy will be launched by me in the very near future. The project relating to additional specialist posts for high turnover/long lead in appointments was finalised in April 2021.
The report relating to the review of recruitment in the PDF has been completed and will be submitted for my approval imminently.
Of the two outstanding projects, the project examining Barriers to Extended Participation in the PDF was split into two phases. Phase 1, focussed on reviewing mandatory retirement ages for Officers and is nearing completion pending clarification from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on a matter relating to pension rules.
Phase 2 of this project, to examine the contracts of service for enlisted personnel, has commenced and is at an advanced stage. It had previously been agreed with PDFORRA that enlisted privates and corporals who had reached 21 years’ service, could remain in service until they reach age 50 until end 2022. Sergeants are also permitted to serve beyond 50 until that date. These measures gave this phase of the review scope to take place in an extended timeframe.
The final project, looking at the embedding of strategic workforce planning in the Defence Forces has commenced and its work is ongoing. A detailed supply side analysis has been completed and the next phase, an examination of the demand side, will commence shortly. The work has been facilitated, to date, by an external HR advisor. As this is a long term project it will be progressed through the joint civil/military Strategic Human Resources Group.