John Brady
Question:48. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide details of plans to recruit more civilians for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14313/23]
View answerThursday, 23 March 2023
Questions (48)
Written answers
Civilian Employees are employed by my Department to support the operational capability of the Defence Forces. The recruitment of Civilian Employees for military instillations is an ongoing process, informed by prioritisation of posts by military management.
In addition, there are 15 civil servants embedded in military units providing a range of specialist inputs including procurement, analytical, and financial expertise.
Arising from the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, a Top Level Appointments Committee recruitment process is currently in process to select a Head of Transformation and a Head of Strategic HR for the Defence Forces. Both appointees will be civil servants.
The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces made it clear that the level of ambition (LOA) for the Defence Forces needed to be elevated beyond that at which it was operating. In that context, Government approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to LOA 2. This will require an additional 2,000 personnel beyond the current establishment figure of 9,500. The Defence Forces are developing strategies to achieve increased recruitment and to address the current shortfall in numbers. The target is to realise a Defence Forces strength of 11,500 by 2028, incorporating an appropriate civilian component.
As is clear both from the experience to date and the Commission on the Defence Forces' analysis, there are areas which lend themselves to civilian expertise and skill sets and which do not of necessity require to be filled by military personnel. This will inform the development of workforce planning for the Defence Forces in the coming years.
Question No. 49 answered with Question No. 44.