asked the Minister for Defence the number of non-commissioned officers who were temporarily promoted to a higher rank during overseas service in the past ten years.
Written Answers. - Army NCO Ranks.
49.
The number of privates and non-commissioned officers promoted to acting higher rank in the years 1970 to 1979 for overseas service was 409.
53.
asked the Minister for Defence the number of appointments upgraded in rank during the past ten years in the case of: (a) commissioned officer rank, and (b) non-commissioned officer rank.
It would not be possible, without the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of official time, to provide exact details of all the appointments upgraded during the past ten years. During that period the organisation and structure of the Defence Forces as a whole and of many corps in particular were subjected to intensive review, resulting in revision of the ranks of many appointments and in increases in the establishments of 3,766 all ranks. While there was no significant change in the ratio of officers to other ranks in the revised establishment, the percentage of non-commissioned officer appointments in the Defence Forces rose from 28.8 per cent to 32.8 per cent and the percentage of appointments in the rank of private dropped from 60.6 per cent to 57.1 per cent.
58.
asked the Minister for Defence the highest non-commissioned rank that can be attained by NCOs employed in (i) senior "A" administrative NCO post in an infantry battalion or similar formation and the numbers so employed; (ii) the senior "A" and "Q" NCO posts at Army headquarters, Command headquarters, Brigade headquarters, other higher formations and the numbers employed in each case; the numbers of NCOs holding each of the four senior NCO ranks in the following: (a) Engineers, (b) Cavalry, (c) Medical Corps, (d) Transport Corps, (e) Military Police, (f) Artillery Corps, (g) Observer Corps, (h) Air Corps, (i) Naval Service and (j) Infantry Corps.
The non-commissioned ranks provided for a unit or formation of the Defence Forces depend on the type of structure to be catered for. Thus in an infantry battalion of the Permanent Defence Force or comparable combatant formation the highest non-commissioned officer rank is sergeant-major, to which rank any suitably qualified non-commissioned officer can aspire. The highest non-commissioned rank provided in such a formation for a purely administrative appointment on the "A" administrative staff is sergeant. One such appointment is provided in establishments for each infantry battalion and field artillery regiment of the Permanent Defence Force and for each infantry battalion and three field artillery regiments of an Forsa Cosanta Aitiúil—a total of 35 appointments in all.
The remaining information requested is in the form of a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, will be circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Senior "A" and "Q" Non-commissioned Officers.
|
Location |
“A” |
“Q” |
|
(a) Army Headquarters |
13 Company-Sergeants |
4 Company Quartermaster- Sergeants |
|
(b) Command Headquarters:Eastern Command |
1 Company-Sergeant |
1 Battalion Quartermaster- Sergeant 10 Company Quartermaster- Sergeants |
|
Southern Command |
1 Company-Sergeant |
12 Company Quartermaster- Sergeants |
|
Western Command |
1 Company-Sergeant |
9 Company Quartermaster- Sergeants |
|
Curragh Command |
1 Company-Sergeant |
6 Company Quartermaster- Sergeants |
|
(c) Brigade Headquarters (4) and Headquarters Eastern Command Infantry Force. |
1 Sergeant to each Head- quarters (total 5) |
1 Sergeant to each Head- quarters (total 5) |
|
(d) Command F.C.A. Staffs |
1 Sergeant to each Staff (total 4) |
1 Company Quartermaster- Sergeant to each Staff (total 4) |
Numbers of N.C.O. appointments in the four senior ranks in various Corps.
|
Battalion Sergeant- Major |
Battalion Quartermaster- Sergeant |
Company Sergeant |
Company Quartermaster- Sergeant |
|
|
(a) Corps of Engineers |
1 |
1 |
5 |
11 |
|
(b) Cavalry Corps |
1 |
1 |
5 |
10 |
|
(c) Medical Corps |
2 |
2 |
7 |
16 |
|
(d) Supply and Transport Corps |
1 |
1 |
12 |
16 |
|
(e) Military Police Corps |
4 |
1 |
11 |
16 |
|
(f) Artillery Corps |
5 |
5 |
10 |
42 |
|
(g) Observer Corps |
— |
— |
1 |
12 |
|
(h) Air Corps |
4 |
3 |
56 |
16 |
|
(i) Naval Service |
6 |
1 |
75 |
16 |
|
(j) Infantry Corps |
11 |
11 |
46 |
165 |