Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
167. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the strategy documents or reports currently governing the approach of his Department; those that are under review; those currently being formulated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42645/23]
View answerThe White Paper on Defence Published in 2015 set out the Government's defence policy framework out to 2025, the White paper also put in place a new fixed cycle of defence reviews. Such reviews are common practice internationally and give reassurance that policy remains up to date and relevant to changing future circumstances.
The White Paper set out that every three years there will be a White Paper update that would consider progress made up to that time and consider any revisions required with each alternate three-year review in the cycle being more comprehensive in nature and to be styled a Strategic Defence Review.
The first of these reviews, the White Paper Update was published in 2019. The second of these reviews, the Strategic Defence Review stage, was due to commence in 2021. With the establishment of the independent Commission on the Defence Forces by Government in December 2020, a decision was taken to pause commencing the Strategic Defence Review until the Commission on the Defence Forces had completed their report and Government had been given time to consider the report.
Work on the Strategic Defence Review has now commenced with the preparation of a revised security environment assessment (SEA) which is being conducted by an interdepartmental working group and will address the significant security environment changes since the invasion of Ukraine. A fresh consideration of the implications of this assessment for overall policy requirements, associated tasks, capability development and resourcing will then be completed.
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, NDP Delivery and Reform and involved engagement with Departmental staff and key stakeholders. The report has been published on the Department’s website and an Action plan has been developed to address the recommendations of the review.
The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government. The report of the Commission was published on 9th February 2022. The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.
In July last year Government approved a High-Level Action Plan in response to the Commission report. As part of this, approval was given for a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission, which will entail funding increases to reach a defence budget of c. €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates process.
Implementation structures are in place encompassing an Implementation Oversight Group, a High-Level Steering Board and an Implementation Management Office (IMO) to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme. The High level Action Plan identified 38 early actions for immediate progression and to-date approximately 90% have been achieved. One of the key early actions is the development of a Detailed Implementation Plan, which is also at an advanced stage. This Detailed Implementation Plan will clearly set out the work that is to be progressed in implementing the Commission recommendations in full.
The Report of the Independent Review Group on Dignity and Equality issues in the Defence Forces (the ‘IRG Report’), was published in March 2023 and set out 13 recommendations. This report examined the current policies, systems and procedures for dealing with matters relating to dignity, discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces.
Following the publication of the Independent Review Group Report, I set out my priority to develop one Strategic Framework for the transformation of the Defence Forces, fully understood by everyone, that has the appropriate governance and reporting mechanisms, and is properly resourced.
This Strategic Framework was published on 26th September and clearly sets out the vital work that is underway relating to the transformation of the Defence Forces and outlines the necessary actions to be delivered by the end of 2024. It covers the recommendations made in the Independent Review Group and the Commission on the Defence Forces reports, together with measures to address recruitment and retention challenges, and the legislative changes needed to modernise our Defence Forces.
