Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
168. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure members of the Defence Forces can more easily obtain specialist techpay in recognition of their qualifications and roles; his plans to ensure this is addressed to improve retention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36272/23]
View answerArising from the recommendations of the Public Service Pay Commission in 2019, my Department, in conjunction with Military Management and the then Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, completed an extensive review of the Technical Pay Grades 2-6 in the Defence Forces. The Pay Commission had recommended that the review of Technical Pay Groups 2 - 6 be completed at the earliest opportunity, without compromising the Public Service Stability Agreement. On 25 May 2021 the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform conveyed sanction for the implementation of the findings of the review. The findings of this Review were implemented over the course of 2022, following extensive consultations with the Representative Association for enlisted personnel, PDFORRA. It's implementation has resulted in approximately €968,000.00 in terms of increases in Technical Pay being paid to eligible personnel in 2022, which will continue on a per annum basis.
The Deputy may also wish to note the wider improvements that my Department has introduced over the last year with regard to pay and conditions, and that starting rates of pay in the Defence Forces compare very well to comparable rates of pay across the public service. In addition there is scope for further income from duty allowances and allowances for overseas service, with tax free duty allowance starting at €15,000 for a 6 month deployment.
In 2022, my Department implemented two of the pay-related recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF) Report; namely, that all personnel of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman rank are paid the full rate of Military Service Allowance (MSA) applicable to the rank, while at the same time, the requirement for that cohort to ‘mark time’ for the first three years at that rank will be removed. The implementation of these measures in 2022 resulted in starting pay rates being increased. These rates include Military Service Allowance, which is pensionable. It is important also to note that these increases, once delivered late last year, were also backdated to the date of the Govt decision on the CoDF in July 2022.
These have contributed to the significant progress on pay achieved in recent years. In May 2019, a newly qualified three star private could expect to earn €27,759 gross per annum (including military service allowance but excluding duty allowances). Following the implementation of the CoDF recommendations, and the most recent pay increases under the Building Momentum public service pay agreement (2% on 1st March 2023), recruits on completion of training (which takes approximately 24 weeks), start at:
• €37,147 in Year 1 – equating to €712 per week in Year 1
• €38,544 in Year 2
• €39,832 in Year 3
A school leaver Cadet on commissioning is paid €41,123. This is a second lieutenant position. After 2 years they are promoted to lieutenant and their pay rises to €46,406. Where a graduate joins – the pay rate on commissioning begins at €46,406. These rates all include pensionable military service allowance.
It is also worth noting in this regard that the Report of the CoDF observed that much of the commentary surrounding issues of pay in the Defence Forces does not seem to fully reflect the totality of the remuneration package and believes that this needs to be better communicated.
According to CSO statistics, the average weekly earnings for all sectors in Q4 2022 was €900.26. This would equate to average annual earnings of €46,975. According to the same reported statistics, the average weekly earnings in the Defence Sector was €960.95. This equates to average annual earnings of €50,142.
Finally, the CoDF recommended that examination of options in relation to a mechanism for review of existing specialist pay rates and allowances be commenced, and discussions are ongoing in this regard with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery & Reform. I would envisage that once established, this mechanism would also look at matters of specialist technical pay for particular roles, where a retention or recruitment issue is evident, as a means of addressing those issues.
