Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
9. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the status of agreements or discussions that have taken place regarding post-1994 contracts in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34830/21]
View answerThis morning at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence we heard from RACO that the Defence Forces have reached a point where the decline in them is becoming irreversible. One of the many issues affecting members of the Defence Forces and staff retention there is the issue of the 1994 contract. I therefore ask the Minister to give an update on agreements, discussions or negotiations related to the post-1994 contracts.
I did not get a chance to hear that meeting this morning but I will certainly look at the transcripts. I assure the Deputy that from my perspective the challenges we face with recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces are certainly not irreversible. We must apply ourselves to resolve this issue. The overall number in the Defence Forces is 1,000 people short of where we should be. We are setting about resolving that problem. I hope we will have the assistance of the representative bodies in doing that because collectively we all care about the future of the Defence Forces and without the full complement we are limited in the choices we can make.
I advised the Deputy previously in reply to his parliamentary question of 13 May 2021 of the various reviews of the 1994 Defence Forces service contracts which have taken place since then and the discussions and subsequent agreements with PDFORRA, the representative association for enlisted personnel.
Due to time constraints, I could not read out in full the comprehensive reply to the question raised by the Deputy. I am pleased to have the opportunity to advise Deputy Brady of the current position in relation to the review of service contracts for personnel enlisted to the Defence Forces after 1 January 1994.
A review examining barriers to extended participation in the Permanent Defence Force, as recommended by the Public Service Pay Commission and provided for in the high-level implementation plan, Strengthening Our Defence Forces, is currently under way. The review is being conducted by a joint civil-military project team. The review encompasses consideration of the service limits and mandatory retirement ages for privates, corporals and sergeants, as well as senior non-commissioned officers, NCOs. The review will take into consideration the recommendations from an adjudication in 2015, arising from a claim made by PDFORRA through the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force.
It was agreed at that time that privates and corporals in receipt of technical pay group 3 or higher may stay in service to the age of 50, subject to meeting certain specified criteria. In addition, the adjudicator recommended a further review of contracts of service for line corporals and privates and corporals in receipt of technical pay group 1 and 2 recruited to the Defence Forces after 1 January 1994. The adjudicator recommended that such personnel be allowed to continue to serve beyond 21 years for a period up to the expiry of the next two promotion panels, subject to them meeting the required criteria and not exceeding the age of 50 years during this period.
I will read the rest of the answer when I come in again because the Deputy would be interested in it.
The Defence Forces have a strength of approximately 8,500, which is a full 1,000 below the established full strength. It is estimated that approximately 10% of personnel exit the Defence Forces annually. This significant turnover rate, combined with the current recruitment rate, will mean the Defence Forces will not be able to attain the minimum recognised strength of 9,500 fully trained personnel.
Over the weekend it was reported that the Minister is considering retaining up to 700 military staff due for retirement. I note the establishment of the review, which is being undertaken. Will the Minister give some timeframes on when the review body is due to give a final report? Has there been an interim report that has led to the comments attributed to the Minister that he is considering retaining up to 700 military personnel due to retire at the end of 2022?
The answer is that there is an ongoing review so we will not determine an outcome until it is concluded. In 2019, agreement was reached with PDFORRA that all privates and corporals recruited post 1994 would be allowed to continue in service to 31 December 2022. I know that is the timeline many people are concerned about now. Alternatively, they could continue until they reach the age of 50, provided these personnel meet relevant criteria, including medical grades and fitness tests during the interim period. This agreement was subsequently extended to include sergeants recruited to the Permanent Defence Force after 1 January 1994 who can also continue in service to the same date, subject to their meeting agreed criteria in the interim period.
This agreement with PDFORRA provides for such personnel to continue in service beyond the timeframe suggested in the adjudication to allow for this review to be completed. The rank of line privates, which had not been specifically recommended for review in the adjudication, is also encompassed with this measure. These measures are in place to allow the review to take place in the extended timeframe and any revised proposals arising from these deliberations will of course be discussed with PDFORRA on completion of the review, which is ongoing.
It would be useful and helpful for the Minister to give a timeframe on when he anticipates the review will be carried out just to give clarity to the representative bodies and the members of the Defence Forces who have that date hanging over them. Morale in the Defence Forces is at an all-time low, unfortunately, and the matter must be addressed. Giving clarity around the review would certainly be helpful.
I have stated that we live in a changed world, particularly when it comes to fitness levels and nutrition, etc. All of this has changed. The rationale given to changing the contract in 1994 has been altered and I am sure that will feed into the review process being undertaken. The difficulties in the contracts for the Defence Forces cannot be overstated and there is a grave lack of experience. The number of NCOs and officers with lengthy experience is at an all-time low and this is having a negative impact on morale. I would appreciate it if the Minister could give us some clarity on this.
From now on I will start to challenge some of these generalisations, such as the bald statement that morale in the Defence Forces is at an all-time low. We have challenges in the Defence Forces and we also have fantastic people. Morale is not at an all-time low. I spent nearly 24 hours on a naval vessel travelling from Dublin to Cork on patrol the other day and morale was really positive and strong. Let us not talk ourselves down. We have genuine and real problems relating to recruitment and retention and we must get up numbers again. We must continue to increase investment in the defence budget for equipment and supports and we must deal with some pay and conditions matters. We are doing so. We must focus on ensuring that people who commit a career to the Defence Forces and their country understand that the Government and the Department of Defence are working with them to ensure ongoing issues in the Defence Forces are addressed. That is what we are doing.
With this matter we will work in partnership with PDFORRA, which has raised very real issues that we have responded to over the past number of years. Once we conclude the current review, we will be able to give clarity as soon as possible to the impacted people.
