John Brady
Question:637. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces, by rank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63568/22]
View answerDáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
637. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces, by rank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63568/22]
View answer638. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces who are currently serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63569/22]
View answer639. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of women members of the Defence Forces who left in 2022, by month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63570/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 637 to 639, inclusive, together.
As at 30th November 2022, 28 of the 569 female Permanent Defence Force personnel were serving overseas.
The requested breakdown of the total female strength of 569, by rank, is as follows:
OFFICER |
LT GEN |
MAJ GEN |
BRIG GEN |
COL |
LT COL |
COMDT |
CAPT |
LT |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
57 |
49 |
52 |
|
OTHER RANKS |
SM |
BQMS |
CS |
CQMS |
SGT |
CPL |
PTE |
CADET |
0 |
0 |
7 |
12 |
54 |
97 |
224 |
14 |
As of 30th November 2022, 59 females were discharged from the PDF, as follows:
Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Discharges |
2 |
6 |
14 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
Typically, discharges include personnel who leave 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.
In line with current policies and commitments, and the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, a number of initiatives are in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation in the Defence Forces. Additionally, special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework.
I am 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, to undertake the tasks laid down by Government.