James O'Connor
Question:45. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline his Department’s plans for the Defence Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22894/23]
View answerTuesday, 16 May 2023
Questions (45)
Written answers
The Government remains fully committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF). The 2015 White Paper on Defence is quite clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve.
The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF) equally serves to reinforce that commitment and as the Deputy will be aware, that Report contains many recommendations on the future role and structure of the RDF.
Two recommendations from the report, which have been identified as Early Actions, relate to the RDF, namely the establishment of the Office of Reserve Affairs (ORA), and the development of a Regeneration Plan for the Reserve.
I'm pleased to say that the set up of the ORA has commenced and suitable office space has been identified. The appointment of staff is already actively in train with the appointment of a Colonel to lead the ORA. The office is also currently staffed with a Lieutenant Colonel from the RDF. Further personnel will be assigned to the Unit.
The development of the Regeneration Plan will be the initial focus of the ORA and this is also in train.
This process will also take into consideration the CoDF recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the RDF, such as increasing the future RDF establishment strength which includes that the future establishment of the RDF should be increased and should include, at a minimum, an Air Force Reserve of 200, and a Navy Reserve of 400.
The Deputy may also be aware that a recruitment drive for the RDF in 2022 resulted in over 1000 applications being received, which is very encouraging, and I understand that the majority of those applications are now being progressed.
There has also been progress on the medical phase of the induction process with the outsourcing of Part 2 medicals nearing completion. The outsourcing of the contract for Part 2 medicals over a four-year period for both the PDF and the RDF, amounts to 10,000 medicals in total.
It is planned to include 600 RDF induction medicals per year as part of this overall target over the 4 year period. With the remainder of the 2022 applications already progressing, the military authorities have advised me that consideration is now being given to a further recruitment initiative for the RDF later in 2023.
I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my aim, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure that the regeneration of the RDF remains a key goal in 2023 and beyond.