Tuesday, 27 Jul 2021

Written Answers Nos. 894-913

Defence Forces

Questions (895, 897, 898)

John Brady

Question:

895. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of women recruited to the Defence Forces in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39973/21]

John Brady

Question:

897. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces has undertaken recruitment drives or campaigns specifically targeted at women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39975/21]

John Brady

Question:

898. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces has undertaken recruitment drives or campaigns specifically targeted at citizens from an ethnic background; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39976/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 895, 897 and 898 together.

The table below shows the number of women inducted into the Permanent Defence Force in each of the past five years:

Year	Total Females Inducted	% of Total Inductions
2016	54	7.8%
2017	69	9.2%
2018	50	8.2%
2019	44	7.3%
2020	42	7.8%

The military authorities advise that a number of initiatives have been undertaken with a view to increasing the number of women who join the Defence Forces.

These include the launching of a strategic campaign with the specific objective of increasing the induction of women into the organisation. In addition to traditional media, the campaign was supported by social media posts, using serving female personnel as role models.

Current campaigns have an enduring requirement to reach out to females within the recruitment demographic via a variety of channels, including social media, sporting organisations and schools.

The military authorities further advise that potential applicants from an ethnic background are included in the target demographic that the Defence Forces seeks to reach in regular campaigns and ongoing promotions through various channels.

The target demographic and associated gatekeepers, are reached through traditional media, schools and various recruitment events, including multicultural events when such opportunities present.

Question No. 896 answered with Question No. 892.

Question No. 897 answered with Question No. 895.

Question No. 898 answered with Question No. 895.

Defence Forces

Questions (899, 900)

John Brady

Question:

899. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of Army barracks; and the staffing levels and the staffing capacity of each in tabular form. [39977/21]

John Brady

Question:

900. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of Naval Service bases; and the staffing levels and staffing capacity of each in tabular form. [39978/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 899 and 900 together.

The overall Defence property portfolio consists of a diverse range of facilities from conventional military barracks to forts, camps and training lands. The following is a list of the 12 permanently occupied Defence Forces installations in which the Army is located across the State:

Collins’ Barracks, Cork

Finner Camp, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal

Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6

McKee Barracks, Dublin 7

St. Bricin’s Hospital, Dublin 7

Defence Forces Training Centre, Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare

Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick

Aiken Barracks, Dundalk, Co. Louth

Gormanston Camp, Gormanston, Co. Meath

Custume Barracks, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Stephens’ Barracks, Kilkenny

Dún Ui Mhaoilíosa (Renmore) Barracks, Galway

In addition, the Naval Base, Haulbowline, Co. Cork and Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin 22 are also permanently occupied military installations.

For operational and security reasons, details of the staffing levels and the staffing capacity located at each military installation cannot be disclosed. It should be noted however that the number of personnel stationed at a particular location will frequently vary on an on-going basis, as it is a normal operational feature for there to be a constant through-flow of personnel into and out of military installations on an ongoing basis.

Question No. 900 answered with Question No. 899.

Defence Forces

Questions (901, 902, 903)

John Brady

Question:

901. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of Army barracks that provide living quarters. [39979/21]

John Brady

Question:

902. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the occupancy of the living quarters in Army barracks that provide same. [39980/21]

John Brady

Question:

903. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence when there was last a vacancy in the living quarters provided by the Defence Forces. [39982/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 901, 902 and 903 together.

As the Deputy will be aware it is a long standing policy that long term residential married quarters are no longer provided. Single-Living-In (SLI) accommodation is provided in every permanently occupied military installation. The occupancy of SLI accommodation can fluctuate on a daily basis, depending on location, the number of courses being held in a location and the duration of the course.

I am advised by the Military authorities that there are a total of 59 Married Quarters, of which 1 is currently unoccupied and fit for occupation.

There are 4,489 Singe Living-In beds in the various Defence Forces Installations, of which 2,576 beds are for short-term training purposes and the balance are for operational occupancy.

Question No. 902 answered with Question No. 901.

Question No. 903 answered with Question No. 901.

Defence Forces

Questions (904)

John Brady

Question:

904. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of apprentices on points 1 to 3 of the pay scale in relation to rates of pay for enlisted personnel of the Permanent Defence Force in tabular form. [39983/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

There are a total of 42 apprentices on points 1 to 3 of the Permanent Defence Force apprentice payscale. The table below shows the breakdown by scale points 1 to 3.

Scale Point	Number of Apprentices
1	16
2	8
3	18
Total	42

Defence Forces

Questions (905, 906, 907, 908)

John Brady

Question:

905. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of members of the Defence Forces at the rank of private grade 1 in the Permanent Defence Force in tabular form. [39984/21]

John Brady

Question:

906. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel at the rank of able seaman third class in the Permanent Defence Force in tabular form. [39985/21]

John Brady

Question:

907. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel at the rank of private 2-star class in the Permanent Defence Force in tabular form. [39986/21]

John Brady

Question:

908. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel at the rank of seaman second class in the Permanent Defence Force in tabular form. [39987/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 905, 906, 907 and 908 together.

The ranks referred to by the Deputy are ranks which personnel occupy on a transitional basis until they qualify in their respective role.

The table below contains the details, as at 30th June 2021, of the numbers in the ranks queried by the Deputy.

Rank	Number in Rank
Private 2 Star	32
Private Grade 1	123
Seaman Second Class	0
Seaman Third Class	8

Question No. 906 answered with Question No. 905.

Question No. 907 answered with Question No. 905.

Question No. 908 answered with Question No. 905.

Departmental Bodies

Questions (909)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

909. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Defence the agencies and State organisations under his Department that are receiving State funding that do not have to declare salaries of employees under the 2016 code of governance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40031/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

The only State body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927 to provide for the payment of pensions, allowances and gratuities in certain circumstances to members of the Defence Forces.

The 1927 Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The Secretary of the Army Pensions Board is an Executive Officer in my Department.

Salaries/pay costs in relation to the Army Pensions Board are published annually in the Vote 35 (Army Pensions) Appropriation Account.

Defence Forces

Questions (910)

John Brady

Question:

910. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the status of the proposed transfer of lands at Rockbrae House, Bray, County Wicklow to Wicklow County Council; the stage matters are currently at; the estimated timeframe for the transfer of such lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40366/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

The property in question is surplus to military requirements and, in line with Government policy, the intention is to dispose of the property by way of transfer to Wicklow County Council, in order to support the provision of housing by that Local Authority.

Officials from my Department are currently liaising with the Chief State's Solicitors Office on the necessary legal matters with regard to finalising contracts and the intention is to conclude the transfer as soon as possible, subject to the normal exigencies of the conveyancing process.

Defence Forces

Questions (911)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

911. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Defence his views on the Jadotville Report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40398/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

The Independent Review Group (IRG) was established to examine the issue of the award of military medals to personnel who served at Jadotville while deployed overseas on the UN peace support mission in the Congo in 1961. The IRG was asked to consider the entire case and evidence, including new evidence, if any, available. The IRG has completed its research and has submitted its report to the Chief of Staff, as the convening authority. The Chief of Staff has submitted the report to me along with his advice. The work of the Independent Review Group has now concluded.

The deeply unsettling aftermath of Jadotville is detailed in the report as is the lack of personal welfare supports afforded to the men following events at Jadotville, their period in captivity and upon their return home. I have apologised to veterans and to their families on behalf of the State and the Government to the men of ‘A’ Company, 35th Infantry Battalion and to their families for the lack of necessary supports or deserved recognition of their valiant service on their return from the Congo and for the many issue that arose as a result, some of which had tragic consequences. The lack of supports in place at that time is extremely regrettable. There have been great steps in the intervening years to support Defence Forces personnel, their families and veterans through the work of the Defence Forces personnel support services.

The report is substantial and makes a number of recommendations in respect of the issue of award of medals, honouring the role of families and the support they provided to veterans and in respect of veterans affairs. I can confirm that I will be considering all of the recommendations but time is needed to reflect fully on the detail of the report and on the specifics of the individual recommendations. Once this consideration has been completed it is my intention to respond further in relation to the individual recommendations.

Defence Forces

Questions (912, 914, 917, 918)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

912. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Defence the way in which Defence Forces recruitment and retention issues will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40399/21]

Jim O'Callaghan

Question:

914. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Defence the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 30 June 2021; if he will provide a breakdown of all ranks across the three service and a breakdown by gender of same in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40886/21]

John Brady

Question:

917. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of existing members of the Defence Forces by service in tabular form; the established figure for that service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40904/21]

John Brady

Question:

918. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of members of the Defence Forces by service that have left the Defence Forces over the past five years in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40905/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 912, 914, 917 and 918 together.

As at 30th June 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) was 8,519 personnel and the attached table provides a breakdown by rank, gender and service. The Government remains committed to returning to, and maintaining the agreed strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprised of 7,520 Army personnel, 886 Air Corps personnel and 1,094 Naval Service personnel, as set out in the White Paper on Defence (2015).

The table below details, by year and service, the total number of personnel who left the PDF over the past 5 years along with details of the cohort who discharged while in training:

-	Army		Naval Service		Air Corps
Year	Discharges Total	Discharges in Training	Discharges Total	Discharges in Training	Discharges Total	Discharges in Training
2016	525	137	103	30	51	4
2017	588	167	96	36	58	6
2018	529	110	148	25	63	4
2019	655	158	139	22	88	7
2020	488	156	100	28	48	6

Within the PDF, the term 'discharges' encompasses personnel who left for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges and, as shown above, also includes a number of trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.

I have acknowledged in the past that there are on-going difficulties in the Defence Forces, and these have been well-documented. The sea-going service commitment scheme and an extension of a tax credit, both for sea-going Naval Service personnel, are examples of targeted measures aimed at retaining experienced personnel. This follows the reintroduction of a successful service commitment scheme for Flying Officers in the Air Corps.

Recruitment continues and has resulted in 238 personnel being inducted as at 30th June 2021 and further inductions are planned.

Further initiatives, that also play a role in restoring capacity and in boosting specialist’s numbers, include:

- The campaign to re-enlist and re-commission former members of the Permanent Defence Force.

- Direct Entry is utilised for the recruitment of specialists with further competitions being progressed.

A Commission on the Defence Forces has also been established to examine a range of matters relating to the Defence Forces and are consulting widely. I look forward to receiving their recommendations in due course.

https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2021-07-27_pq912-27-7-21_en.xls.

Departmental Funding

Questions (913)

Johnny Guirke

Question:

913. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Defence the last occasion on which a Department-wide review of all funding within his Department took place; the frequency of such reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40631/21]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

All Defence funding requirements are reviewed annually in the context of the Government budgetary process, with spending requirements and priorities informed by the 2015 White Paper on Defence and supported by internal equipment and infrastructural planning frameworks.

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest possible extent. As part of this ongoing process, I ensure that resources available to the Defence Forces to undertake their operational commitments are kept under constant review.

For 2021, the total allocation provided for the Defence Sector was €1,072.4 million, including €809.8 million for Vote 36 (Defence), and €262.6 million for Vote 35 (Army Pensions), an overall increase of over €32 million on 2020. This significant allocation ensures that adequate funding is available to the Defence Organisation to carry out all assigned roles, both at home and overseas, and to continue to deliver on White Paper commitments.