Cathal Crowe
Question:171. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the main policy achievements of his Department since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31857/23]
View answerThursday, 29 June 2023
Questions (171)
Written answers
The Programme for Government contains an ambitious range of commitments concerning the Defence sector that my Department will continue to implement over the lifetime of the Programme.
One of the key commitments was to establish a Commission on the Defence Forces. On the 15th December 2020, the Government approved terms of reference and the membership of an independent Commission on the Defence Forces, and their report was published on the 9th February 2022.
On the 12th July 2022, Government approval was given for a move to 'Level of Ambition 2' (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces. This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission. The move to LOA2 will require an additional 2,000 personnel (civil and military) over and above the current establishment of 9,500. Work has commenced on this with the 'BE MORE' recruitment campaign. This demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.
The High Level Action Plan for the report of the Commission set out a total of 38 early actions to be completed within 6 months of the Government decision. A comprehensive written update on all 38 early actions was published on March 23rd of this year, and includes the status of each of the 38 early actions in tabular form. At that time over 80% of the early actions had been achieved. Progress continues on the remaining early actions, and to-date approximately 90% have been achieved, with the remainder at an advanced stage and due to be completed shortly.
Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for military radar capabilities, including primary radar, the establishment of an Office of Reserve Affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force and the commencement of a Strategic Defence Review (SDR), work in the phase of the SDR has commenced with the preparation of a Security Environment Assessment on-going. On foot of a recommendation of the Commission on the Defence Forces, a new Capability Development Unit has been established to take a new top-down strategic approach to Capability Development Planning.
The High Level Action Plan sets out the initial implementation and oversight structures. A High-Level Steering Board has been established, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, to oversee the implementation. An independently chaired Implementation Oversight Group has been established to monitor the implementation of the recommendations approved by Government, and met for the first time on the 3rd of October. Ms. Julie Sinnamon has been appointed as the independent chair of the Implementation Oversight Group that has been established to oversee and drive progress in relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. There have been six meetings of the Group to date, most recently on 25th of May. A civil/military Implementation Management Office (IMO) has been established to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.
Government noted that, in light of the Commission’s report, there is an urgent need for HR and cultural transformation in the Defence Forces and this will be prioritised. The High Level Action Plan identified the recruitment, through an open process, for the new senior-level civilian positions of Head of Transformation and Head of Strategic HR for the Defence Forces as early actions required to progress this transformation. I welcome the recent apppointment of Mr. Brian Molloy to the position of Defence Forces' Head of Transformation. The competition to select the Head of Strategic HR has recently concluded and the process to appoint the successful candidate is nearing completion.
A key early action, and key output from the opening phase of the Transformation Programme, the development of a detailed implementation plan, is at an advanced stage and is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
In 2022, following the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CODF) and the High Level Action Plan (HLAP), the finalisation of ongoing White Paper Projects, and the scheduled initiation of the majority of the future projects, has been evaluated and considered in light of the CODF. It has been agreed that the majority of the projects could be merged within the CODF project mechanisms, with small numbers either to be progressed on a standalone basis or closed.
To date, 52 are now formally completed and closed with 43 remaining of which 14 are currently active. Of the 14 active, four are in the closing process.
In March of this year, following Cabinet approval, the report of the Independent Review Group on dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces was published. The Government has agreed to progress, as a priority, the report’s thirteen recommendations. These include the establishment of a statutory inquiry to investigate whether there have been serious systemic failures in dealing with individual complaints in relation to interpersonal issues, including but not limited to sexual misconduct. Consultation with the Attorney General, on the finalisation of the terms of reference for the Inquiry is continuing, which will include consideration of the feedback received from the various stakeholders.
An organisational capability review of the Department of Defence commenced in 2021. The Review was conducted by the Organisational Capability Review team which is based in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and involved engagement with Departmental staff and key stakeholders in the policy and operational domains of the Department. The report has been published on the Department’s website and an Action plan to implement the recommendations in the review was developed and published in July 2022.
My Department continue to implement the rolling 5-year Infrastructure Plan and rolling 5-year Equipment Development Plan for the Defence Forces. In December 2022, we published an updated Infrastructure Plan for the period 2022- 2027, with over €300m in building investment planned over the next 5 years. Major equipment projects are also being progressed and delivered including the upgrade of the Mowag Armoured Personnel Carriers, the acquisition of Armoured Utility Vehicles for the Army, the acquisition of PC 12 and C-295 aircraft for the Air Corps and the acquisition of refitted second user Inshore Patrol Vessels and progress on the new Multi Role Vessel (MRV) project for the Naval Service. In May 2023, the Department received delivery of two inshore patrol Vessels to the Naval Service, and this week I welcomed the arrival of the first of two Airbus C295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The arrival of this aircraft is an important moment for the Air Corps and a commitment delivered from the White Paper on Defence.
Recruitment and retention of personnel is a key priority for me. My Department has progressed a number of activities relating to recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces, and related HR issues. The 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 and an extensive High-Level Plan 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. A range of other initiatives have been introduced including commissioning from the ranks, the re-entry of former PDF personnel with specific skills, a sea-going commitment scheme for Naval Service Personnel, an Air Corps Service Commitment Scheme, the Naval Service Tax Credit and extending service limits for Privates, Corporals and Sergeants. A review of mandatory retirement ages in all ranks in the Permanent Defence Force is ongoing. The recently extended Building Momentum Agreement 2021-2023 provides for increases in pay for all public servants, including members of the Defence Forces of 6.5% over the lifetime of the agreement. A sub-committee of the Defence Conciliation and Arbitration Council (comprising of the Representative Associations, military and civil management) has been established to discuss, where appropriate, matters relating to implementation of the Working Time Directive. Discussions with the Defence Forces Representative Associations will continue to be undertaken through this forum as the current work evolves.
In 2023, my Department secured sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform for the extension of private healthcare to all ranks in the Defence Forces, on foot of a Programme for Government commitment and a Commission on the Defence Forces recommendation. A permanent Civilian Consultant Psychiatrist to the Defence Forces has been appointed and the maximum age of recruitment has increased to 29, for General Service Recruits, Cadets, Air Corps Apprentices and certain Specialists.
In relation to legislation, the Defence (Amendment) Act 2021 was enacted during 2021. The Act updates provisions in the Defence Acts relating to overseas operations and the enlistment of minors. It also provides for an enhancement of the role played by the Reserve Defence Force in support of the Permanent Defence Force, including the removal of the absolute prohibition in the Defence Acts on members of the Reserve Defence Force serving overseas. The Defence Forces (Evidence) Act 2022 was enacted during 2022. The principal purpose of this Act is to provide for members of the Military Police to take and use DNA samples and other evidence for the purposes of their investigations, including outside the jurisdiction when Defence Forces personnel are deployed overseas.
A three year implementation plan for the Civil Defence policy “Civil Defence-Towards 2030” was approved and as part of this a new Civil Defence Volunteer and Equipment Management System will go live in the coming months. This will allow for more efficient management of around 3,000 Civil Defence volunteers, their training and activities. It will also assist equipment and vehicle management. The Civil Defence Bill 2023 has recently been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and has been forwarded to the President for signature. The purpose of the Bill is to modernise and reform the current legislative basis for the Civil Defence organisation.
With regard to international initiatives, my Departments main focus since June 2020 was Ireland’s policy input into negotiations around the establishment in March 2021 of the European Peace Facility (EPF); the new mechanism to finance Common Security and Defence Policy initiatives, and the Strategic Compass; which sets out the EU’s shared vision for Common Security and Defence Policy that was adopted in March 2022.
Since June 2020, the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) in my Department has continued to prioritise and enhance interdepartmental strategic emergency management through capacity building and knowledge sharing. This has been achieved by the publication of 4 guideline documents under the Strategic Emergency Management, National Structures and Framework suite of documents. These guideline documents were produced on the subjects of the National Emergency Coordination Group; Critical Infrastructure Resilience; Climate Adaption and; Planning and Exercising. The OEP has provided specialist training to colleagues from across the Lead Government Departments on the subject of strategic emergency management and crisis communications. Working with the Shared Island Unit of the Department of the Taoiseach, the OEP has hosted an all-island disaster risk reduction conference, bringing together policy area, academic and private sector experts in strategic emergency planning from across the island of Ireland.
My Department also published The National Risk Assessment for Ireland 2020, which identifies and assesses the likelihood and impact of key risks facing the State across a broad range of emergencies. It formed part of the EU-wide risk assessment process. Subsequently, my Department also published an Assessment of Risk Management Capabilities Report in 2021, which identified the capabilities in each of the government departments tasked with dealing with the 16 strategic risks identified in the National Risk Assessment for Ireland.
The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which I chair, convened 14 times in the reference period. In addition, a number of subgroups were held over the reporting period to deal with issues such as Critical Infrastructure Resilience, Strategic Risk Management, Emergency Communications, Public Information Campaigns, International Engagement and CBRN issues.
I am satisfied that significant progress is being made in implementing the Government’s ambitious programme for Defence and I look forward to ongoing delivery of key commitments.