Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 October 2022
80. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence the actions that his Department will undertake in relation to the recruitment of women into the Defence Forces in 2023 as per the recommendations set out in the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and in line with Defence Forces recruitment objectives announced in Budget 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48632/22]
View answer86. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence if he will detail both the maximum and the current strength levels of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49019/22]
View answer99. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Defence the strength of the Permanent Defence Forces as of 30 September 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48888/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 86 and 99 together.
As at 31 August, 2022, the latest date such details are available, the strength of the PDF was 8,146 personnel or 86% of the current agreed strength of 9,500. 579 of these were women.
My focus is on bringing the strength of the Defence Forces to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. There are a number of initiatives which are presently being implemented to counter current staffing challenges.
There is ongoing general service and direct entry recruitment and some 248 personnel have been inducted to end August 2022. Retention measures include service commitment schemes in the Air Corps and Naval Service, and the sea-going naval personnel tax credit. Pay has improved as a result of increases arising from Public Service pay agreements.
The Defence Forces are an equal opportunity employer and, in addition to increasing overall capacity, it is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces to reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve.
The White Paper on Defence contains a number of projects with a view to increasing participation of females in the Defence Forces. Furthermore the High Level Action Plan agreed by Government to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces contains a range of projects designed to assist in achieving the target rate of 35% female participation. An example of this is the early action to appoint a gender advisor at Colonel level in the Defence Forces, which has been accepted in principle and is being progressed.
In line with current policies and commitments, a number of initiatives are already in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation e.g.
- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces.
- A Defence Forces Women's Network was established with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel at all levels of the organisation.
In addition, special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework.
I remain committed to maximising recruitment and retention of personnel, both male and female, to maintain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government.
