Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
50. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of members that left the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps in 2023; the number of new members recruited to each; the current membership of the Defence Forces; and the projected numbers by year-end 2024. [2989/24]
View answerI ask the Minister for Defence the number of members who left the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps last year; the number of new members who were recruited; and therefore the current membership of each branch of the Defence Forces.
The military authorities have advised that as of 31 December 2023, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,550 personnel. A total of 750 personnel discharged in 2023 and 415 personnel were inducted. A table containing the requested breakdown by branch of these figures will be provided to the Deputy.
Every effort is being made to increase the strength of our Defence Forces. The high turnover and challenge with recruitment are being experienced worldwide. The Government has introduced many changes to make the Defence Forces an attractive option as a career choice and will continue to work with the Defence Forces to enhance recruitment and retention.
The Defence Forces have engaged a marketing and media partner to assist with recruitment advertising to ensure engagement with the recruitment demographic across social media and other media platforms. Specific advertising for specialist recruitment is placed in industry-specific publications and websites. As part of the Naval Service-specific recruitment campaign, phase 3 of a Naval Service recruitment advertisement will launch in the last week of January 2024.
The current marketing strategy for Defence Forces recruitment, Be More with the Irish Defence Forces, which was launched in 2022, aligns the desire of the target demographic to continuously improve and learn new skills while ensuring long-term career advancement by ably demonstrating opportunities and skills a career in the Defence Forces offers.
The Defence Forces continue to broadcast this message through regular visits to schools and frequent attendance at recruitment and career fairs and events. Furthermore, transition year students can avail of placements within the organisation to undertake various programmes across a number of locations, demonstrating career opportunities. We have made significant progress in improving the terms and conditions of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force. Actions taken include significant progress on basic pay, the roll-out of private secondary medical care to all ranks and the recent doubling of the amount of the patrol duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel at sea after the first ten days in a calendar year.
At a recruitment briefing to me in December 2023, management in the Defence Forces outlined that the total projected induction figure for 2024 was 540. Given the current situation, I do not believe that figure to be ambitious enough. I have therefore instructed that additional enlisted personnel and cadets be recruited in 2024 beyond this figure and for military management to present a plan on how this will be achieved.
I am sure the Tánaiste will accept that those figures are incredibly concerning. When this Government came into office, it inherited a crisis in terms of the numbers in the Defence Forces. The numbers at that point were 8,659. When the Tánaiste assumed the role of Minister, that number had reduced to 7,966. If I recall the figure he gave correctly, it now stands at 7,550. The trend has not changed at all. While recruitment is ongoing and we welcome the initiatives that have been taken and we wish that process well, there is an elephant in the room. As well as having a recruitment crisis, there is, above all, a retention crisis. It is clear from the figures given that more people are leaving in any given year than are being recruited. Does the Tánaiste acknowledge that? Does he have any retention-specific measures to propose?
We have established the Defence Forces joint induction training centre in Gormanston, which will ultimately enable induction training to be provided to 900 recruits per annum. That is a significant investment. We have also appointed a specialist internal expertise group to go in, validate and advise on recruitment processes in the Permanent Defence Force, with a particular focus on the Naval Service. A report with detailed recommendations has recently been submitted to me. That is an important piece of work that will inform significant changes in how we recruit in the future.
There is no lack of interest in joining the Defence Forces, as evidenced by the 9,479 applications received across all competitions in 2023. That does not mean everyone who applies will follow up. I have put it to the Defence Forces that the conversion rate of those applications does not seem to be sufficient or high enough and we have to do more on that front.
On the retention front, we have increased the age at which people can join and we expect decisions shortly in respect of retirement ages being increased.
The Tánaiste indicated that he does not think the Defence Forces are ambitious enough in their targets. I would make the same charge of the Government. In budget 2023, funding was provided to allow the recruitment of an additional 400 personnel, but that did not happen. In fact, as I said, the numbers actually went down further. This year, however, the funding provided in 2024 provides for the exact same target - an additional 400 people. I presume that is a net figure.
It is net.
Does the Tánaiste accept that an additional 400 members, which would not even bring numbers up to where they were at this time last year, is not sufficient either? We are talking about the need to be more ambitious in our hopes and aspirations for the Defence Forces. Yes, we need the Defence Forces but, in the first instance, we need to see leadership and vision from the Government, and they are lacking.
I do not agree with that at all.
The numbers speak for themselves.
This is a net increase. I have been in office for one year. I am determined to deal with this. There are a number of interlocking issues. This Government has dealt substantially with pay. On completion of training, recruits start at €38,000 in year one. That increases to €39,400 in year two and €40,700 in year three. School-leaver cadets, on commissioning, are paid €41,962, or essentially €42,000, and after two years, they are promoted to lieutenant and their pay rises to €47,000. For a graduate joining, the pay rate, on commissioning, is €47,000. On the pay front, significant work has been done, including on a whole range of allowances.
The retirement issue is important. We have had a series of meetings with my colleague, the Minister for public expenditure, and other Ministers specifically on the retention issue. This will be significant in reducing the number of those leaving the Defence Forces. It is a bit early to see the impact of the patrol duty allowance in the Naval Service, but we are hopeful it will have some impact.
