Niamh Smyth
Question:78. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence how it is proposed to strengthen the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42231/23]
View answerTuesday, 3 October 2023
Questions (78)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
How is it proposed to strengthen the Reserve Defence Force? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government remains fully committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force. 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 equally serves to reinforce that commitment. The report contains many recommendations on the future role and structure of the RDF. The ultimate goal is the development of a reserve force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy on a voluntary basis with the Permanent Defence Force both on-island and overseas. On foot of the recent amendment to the Defence Act pertaining to the Reserve, for the first time, an RDF member has deployed overseas on a voluntary basis in support of the Permanent Defence Force.
A number of early actions were identified to progress prioritised recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces report. Two of the early actions directly relate to the Reserve, namely, the establishment of a dedicated Office of Reserve affairs and the commencement of RDF regeneration planning. The Office of Reserve Affairs is now up and running and the immediate focus is on the development of a regeneration plan.
In the interim and recognising the critical requirement to address significant and ongoing issues that can and will impact on Reserve revitalisation, the Office of Reserve Affairs has directed its attention to a number of areas, in particular around recruitment, and the removal of hurdles that limit the enlistment process in the Reserve. Upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages for the RDF will also be examined, including in the context of ongoing deliberations on these matters for the Permanent Defence Force. I understand that a food for thought paper prepared by the military authorities is currently with the general staff for consideration on the specific matter of mandatory retirement ages. I understand also that the Defence Forces are actively engaged on matters relating to the conduct of pre-enlistment medicals and fitness testing, which will facilitate the concerted, sustained and much-needed induction effort.
I am pleased to advise that a RDF recruitment campaign will recommence this month with an initial application window of two months. This welcome development, along with other initiatives under consideration, will assist in ensuring that the momentum behind my absolute commitment to the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained throughout 2023 and beyond.
As the Tánaiste noted, the Commission on the Defence Forces called for a detailed regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force with clear and specific timelines to be developed and published setting out how a reformed Reserve would be operationalised and funded. Could we get more information on that? What communications and campaigns is the Department looking at? The commission also said that the establishment of the RDF should include at a minimum an Air Force Reserve of 200 and a Navy Reserve of 400. It stated that the Army Reserve establishment should stand at 3,900 with a 50-50 split between combat-combat support and combat service support. How many are in the Reserve? Did the number increase during 2023? What timeframe does the Tánaiste envisage to achieve a Reserve on the level called for by the commission?
I think I gave a reply earlier to those specific questions on numbers. I think 90 were recruited in 2022 and a further 20 have been recruited so far in 2023. I mentioned earlier accelerating procedures and medical tests. In a previous campaign, about 1,000 applied but the follow through was not as strong. Now that we have an Office of Reserve Affairs, there is additional capacity to plan properly and recruit in a more effective way members of the RDF.
That is very welcome. That is so important. We are so lucky with our Defence Forces. Loads of people come to my clinic asking me about the family income support scheme because their wages do not give them a standard of living. I know pay scales are part of the public pay talks but can the Tánaiste tell me whether we will see an increase for our Defence Forces personnel in this year's budget? We have seen a 25% drop in numbers in our Defence Forces. What urgent steps are being taken to reinvigorate this? I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Niamh Smyth. We are so lucky to have what we have within our Defence Forces. I know the Tánaiste's commitment to them but there are significant issues that need to be addressed. I welcome the Tánaiste's plan.
I might be surprised at this stage in respect of family income support. I would like to hear about the cases if the Deputy would show me them. The improvement in basic pay has been quite dramatic. If you go straight in with your leaving certificate, you will be on €36,000 to €37,000 while on commissioning with your leaving certificate as a cadet, you will be on €41,000. A graduate after commissioning will be on €46,000 starting out.
We recently brought in entitlement to secondary healthcare for all enlisted personnel - private healthcare - which is a huge advance for any family member and military personnel more generally. There have been a number of measures for the Naval Service as was mentioned in an earlier reply to Deputy Stanton in respect of the personal tax credit. We are consistently trying to see if we can do more about terms and conditions but I might engage with Deputy Murnane O'Connor.