Defence Forces

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023

Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Questions (73)

Matt Carthy

Question:

73. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the establishment figure of the Reserve Defence Force and its current strength; the number of applicants in 2022 and 2023 and the number inducted; his proposals to introduce employment protection measures for Reserve Defence Force members who deploy on a voluntary basis in support of the Permanent Defence Force; and his proposals to reverse the downward trend in membership of the Reserve Defence Force. [42775/23]

Oral answers (6 contributions)

Deputy Matt Carthy

Today, the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, was before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. In outlining the changes that have occurred during this Government's time in office, one speaker said, "The only thing that really has changed is the strength of the organisation, and not for the better". Nowhere is that more true than in the numbers of members of our Reserve Defence Force. Will the Minister inform the House about his proposals to reverse the downward trend in the membership of the Reserve?

Minister for Defence (Deputy Micheál Martin)

The Reserve Defence Force, RDF, comprises the First Line Reserve, the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve. The establishment of RDF is 4,069. This comprises 3,869 for the Army Reserve and 200 for the Naval Service Reserve. The strength of the RDF as of 31 August 2023 stood at 1,319 members in the Army Reserve; 81 members in the Naval Service Reserve; and 280 members of the First Line Reserve.

In 2022, a recruitment drive was advertised across a number of media channels. Recruit liaison officers across the Reserve conducted local recruitment to attract applicants for this campaign. Military authorities advised that 1,347 applications were received. I understand that a number of those applications remain active with inductions continuing.

In 2022, 90 RDF recruits were inducted into Army Reserve. A further 20 have been inducted so far this year, with 19 going into the Army Reserve and one into the Naval Reserve. While the low number of inductees to date leaves significant room for improvement, there is a concerted effort to deal with the remaining active applications. I have met the Chief of Staff and military management in respect of this, particularly with a view to removing hurdles and obstacles to recruiting people to the RDF. I was not happy with some of the procedures that were in place in previous years. The RDF recruitment campaign will recommence this month and will run for an initial period of two months.

The structure and strength of the RDF is a key focus of the Office of Reserve Affairs, ORA, which was established recently in line with a recommendation from the Commission on the Defence Forces report. That was a recommendation and it is has been implemented. The military authorities have advised that the immediate focus of the new office is on the development of a regeneration plan. They are also directing their attention to address any hurdles that limit the enlistment process in the Reserve, including examining upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages.

On foot of the enactment of the Defence (Amendment) Act, enabling members of the Reserve to deploy on a voluntary basis, in support of the Permanent Defence Force, including deployments overseas, my officials commenced engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the issue of employment protection measures for those RDF members so deployed.

Engagements on an informal basis have also taken place with representatives from ICTU and IBEC where useful exchanges of information have taken place. On foot of these engagements a number of potential courses of action remain under consideration.

It would be premature at this point to comment further given the ongoing work on this matter. I am pleased to note that for the first time, a member of the RDF has been deployed overseas on a voluntary basis in support of the Permanent Defence Force. I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my aim to ensure that the RDF and its regeneration remains a key goal of 2023 and beyond.

Deputy Matt Carthy

I think I heard the Tánaiste correctly when he outlined the figures indicating that so far this year there have been 20 new members of the Reserve. He said there is room for improvement. I would suggest that is the understatement of the year. The first problem we have, as we have with the Defence Forces overall, is that there is a retention crisis. It was put very eloquently at the committee today that we have to deal with the retention crisis in the Defence Forces as opposed to putting all efforts into a recruitment campaign, not to suggest the latter is not also needed. I recall in my youth, which I like to think was not that long ago, that in virtually every town and village on a particular evening of the week we would see a van pulling up with Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil, FCA personnel from across the local community. We do not see that any more because our Reserve Defence Force is essentially non-existent. If we are serious about addressing the recruitment and retention crisis within the Permanent Defence Force, surely we have to recognise that the Reserve is the best place to create new recruits. If we do not have a Reserve, the overall issues within our Permanent Defence Force will also be more difficult to address.

Deputy Micheál Martin

I agree with the absolute necessity of a strong Reserve force. There were 90 recruited in 2022. I am nine months in office and I made it clear earlier in the year that I was not happy with the rate of progress. When we consider that 1,000 had applied in the earlier recruitment process, the process of medical testing and so on was far too slow. I asked and instructed that this would change. Where we get such a significant interest, I have said to the military authorities there is a necessity to convert that into a higher number of recruits. I have met with the representative association for the Reserve. I think there is very significant potential there, as the Deputy has said, as a pipeline for further recruits, but also as a support in terms of new disciplines and areas that emerge in connection with new technologies and so forth. We should always be out there looking to use expertise in society. The RDF is a very effective way of harnessing such expertise for the benefit of our defence commitments.

Deputy Matt Carthy

There are huge swathes of the country now where there is no visible evidence of a Reserve being in place at all. That is systematic and I would argue it is getting to the point where it is existential in terms of the crisis that is being faced. The representative body the Tánaiste mentioned told a previous member of the Oireachtas committee that the next few years may see the last elements of the Reserve disappear completely unless we take fundamental action. One of those actions, of course, is the issue of employment protection for RDF members who deploy on a voluntary basis. The Tánaiste's answer is far too familiar and similar to other answers: it is with another Department, it is premature to start dealing with it. There is no sense of urgency at all on the issues that are affecting the Reserve. I am asking again if the Tánaiste will inject that badly needed sense of urgency into these matters.

Deputy Micheál Martin

That is why we set up the office, specifically following the recommendation from the commission on the Defence Forces to establish an office of Reserve affairs. That was a recognition that over the years, the level of urgency and attention to this was not what it should have been. Early on, after I became Minister, I had a specific meeting on this issue. The office has been established and is developing a regeneration plan. I want action parallel with that plan also. Given that people have applied and want to participate, there is an onus to ensure that we can facilitate recruitment more effectively and more quickly than had been the case in the past. The establishment of the office is an important structural change that was not there before. That capacity was not there before. The office is developing a regeneration plan. They are also directing their attention to address any hurdles that limit the enlistment process in the Reserve, including examining upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages. We are also working on enabling members of the Reserve to deploy on a voluntary basis, working with employers and unions in that respect. The Civil Service has separate circulars that can facilitate participation.