Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2022
366. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Defence when projects (details supplied) in the high-level implementation plan "Strengthening our Defence Forces", which was published in July 2019, will be delivered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58093/22]
View answerThe 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 an extensive High Level Plan (HLIP) titled "Strengthening our Defence Forces” was also agreed and published on the same date.
All projects undertaken to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the PSPC report have now been completed, and/or are being progressed as part of normal business. The Project Management Office (PMO) has been stood down. This was communicated by a civil/military team in a final briefing on the status of the HLIP projects on 11 April 2022, to which the representative organisations of the Permanent Defence Force were invited.
For example the project that examined Barriers to Extended Participation in the PDF, which was split into two phases, was progressed for consideration in the context of broader public sector pensions policy. Phase 1 focused on reviewing mandatory retirement ages for Officers which is under consideration of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to the implications on costs and pensions.
Phase 2 examined the contracts of service and mandatory retirement ages for enlisted personnel. I secured agreement, in December 2021, with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, which allows for an extension in service limits for Privates and Corporals, who were recruited to the Permanent Defence Force since 1 January 1994, to remain in service up to 50 years of age, subject to them meeting certain criteria including medical and fitness standards.
I recently secured an interim arrangement with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform which will allow for the retention in service for a further two years to the end of 2024 for Sergeants recruited after 1 January 1994, who are or would reach 50 years of age by the end of 2024, subject to their meeting certain criteria including passing medical and fitness tests.
The service limits for all ranks in the Defence Forces and other recommendations in the review relating to Commissioned Officers and senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks, will be considered in the context of the Inter-Departmental Working Group, which the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has established, to consider mandatory retirement ages and service limits for public service groups who have fast accrual pension arrangements.
In February 2022, the Commission on the Defence Forces reported and its recommendations have been accepted by Government along with a High Level Action Plan for their implementation. A civil/military Implementation Management Office has been established to support the overall transformation programme required to implement these recommendations. The initial focus is the progressing of the 38 early actions as set out in the High Level Action Plan and the development of a detailed implementation plan for the remainder.
