Vol. 418 No. 1
24 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Defence the progress which has been made with regard to the recommendation of the Gleeson Commission that arrangements should be made as a matter of urgency to enable air traffic control officer appointments to be filled by commissioning NCOs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Three out of a total of eight air traffic control officers in the Ai Corps were former NCOs.
None of the nine NCOs in the Ai Corps who are employed in air traffic control applied to undergo a potential officers course which commenced in September 1991. The 24 NCOs who are on that course were given the opportunity of applying for training as air traffic control officers after being commissioned, but none applied.
Could the Minister indicate when the three people he mentioned were appointed? To what extent have the Air Corps responded to the Gleeson recommendation that steps be taken as a matter of urgency to facilitate the appointment of non-commissioned officers to the position of air traffic controller? Has anything specific been done to ensure that the recommendation is acted on urgently? Would the Minister comment on the reluctance of NCOs to seek the position? Is that due to the absence of adequate inducements to NCOs to work in this area?
Three of the air traffic controllers are former NCOs. I do not have details of the date they were appointed. I do not quite understand the Deputy's suggestion about inducements. The conditions of pay and service of air traffic controllers are well known and are obviously attractive to some. In this case the 24 NCOs when asked if they wished to apply for training as air traffic control officers simply said they did not want to apply. That does not necessarily mean that the conditions of pay and service were unsatisfactory from their point of view. They made a professional choice which did not involve air traffic control.
Would the Minister not agree that there is a remarkable inconsistency between, on the one hand, the matter of urgency identified by Gleeson and, on the other hand, the fact that the entire complement of NCOs did not see the attractions of taking up training in a highly specialist and desirable career? Regarding appropriate inducements, paragraph 11.2.20 of the Gleeson report recommends the putting in place of a series of inducements such as remuneration and promotional prospects to attract NCOs into areas where they otherwise might be slow to trespass.
I am sure the individuals concerned looked at the promotional prospects. The position of air traffic control officer is very responsible and highly qualified. I am personally a little puzzled as to the reason none of the 24 wanted it but it is understandable that it might be so.
It needs more looking into.
