I propose to take Questions Nos. 467, 468, 471, 472 and 473 together.
The following table details the current strength, as of the 31st of March 2022, of the PDF and the 3 branches along with the corresponding agreed establishment.
|
Current Strength (WTE)
|
Establishment
|
Permanent Defence Forces
|
8,366
|
9,500
|
Army
|
6778
|
7,520
|
Air Corps
|
733
|
886
|
Naval Service
|
855
|
1,094
|
As at 31 March, 2022, there were 577 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel serving overseas, of which 37 were female.
Of the 8,366 PDF personnel, 591 are female. The requested breakdown of this female strength, by rank, is as follows:
OFFICER
|
LT GEN
|
MAJ GEN
|
BRIG GEN
|
COL
|
LT COL
|
COMDT
|
CAPT
|
LT
|
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
61
|
50
|
49
|
OTHER RANKS
|
SM
|
BQMS
|
CS
|
CQMS
|
SGT
|
CPL
|
PTE
|
CADET
|
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
9
|
67
|
104
|
234
|
8
|
in 2022, 2 women were discharged in January, 6 in February, 14 in March and 1 in April. Typically, discharges include personnel who left for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges and would also include any trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.
The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation. In addition, in the context of the White Paper on Defence, a specific project is ongoing to conduct a survey to identify any impediments to the advancement of women in the Permanent Defence Force.
Furthermore, the work of the Commission on the Defence Forces included, inter alia, consideration of gender, recruitment and retention matters. The Commission’s report was published on 9 February 2022 and all recommendations are being carefully considered. I intend to bring a proposed response to the report’s recommendations and a high-level action plan to the government for consideration.