Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2024
142. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the current number of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates in the First Line Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2215/24]
View answer143. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of applications to join the First Line Reserve received in 2023; the numbers within that have been enlisted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2216/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together.
The First Line Reserve (FLR) is intended to provide a pool of trained personnel who are available at short notice to supplement Permanent Defence Force (PDF) units in times of emergency. There is currently no set establishment for the FLR.
The existing regulatory framework provides for former members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) to join the Army Reserve or Naval Service Reserve. This is subject to their meeting certain criteria. Direct entry to the FLR is limited to personnel who are departing the PDF and have undertaken, either voluntarily or on foot of a contractual commitment, to complete a period of service in the FLR.
The Military Authorities have advised that as of 30 November 2023, the strength of the First Line Reserve (FLR) is 282, comprising of 5 Officers, 46 Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and 231 Privates.
I can confirm that the FLR is an area, which will be examined, in the context of work arising from the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF).
As an interim measure, the Department continues to receive business cases from the Military Authorities for applications for officers wishing to join the FLR. The applications are assessed by the Minister on a case by case basis having regard to the particular skills-sets of the officer. In 2023, a total of 2 applications were received and approved while 1 application from 2022 was also approved and a further 1 received at the end of 2023 is under consideration.
I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my intention, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure that the momentum behind the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained, thereby enabling us, going forward, to create a Reserve Defence Force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force, both nationally and internationally.
