Vol. 509 No. 4
50 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Defence the number of women who are officers and other ranks in the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps; the proportion of the overall number this represents in each case; the plans, if any, there are to increase the number of female personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20444/99]
78 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence his views on the role of women in the Defence Forces; the numbers involved in absolute and percentage terms; the number of women proposed; and their current representation among the higher officer ranks. [20482/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 78 together.
Women are eligible for service in the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and in the Reserve Defence Force and to compete for all appointments on an equal basis and under the same general conditions as those which apply to men. All female personnel undergo the same training and receive the same military education as their male counterparts.
In order to encourage increased participation by women in the Defence Forces I decided last year to reduce the height requirement for all female recruits to 5'4".
The table which I propose to circulate with the Official Report indicates the number of women within the Permanent Defence Forces as of 30 June 1999, the most recent date for which such figures are currently available due to the ongoing restructuring and reorganisation of the Defence Forces. These figures provide a breakdown between officers and various non-commissioned ranks across each of the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps.
Strength of Females Defence Forces as on 30th June, 1999.
|
LtGen |
MAJGen |
BrigGen |
Col |
LtCol |
Comdt |
Capt |
Lt |
TotalOffrs |
Sm |
Bqms |
CS |
Cqms |
Sgts |
Cpls |
TotalNCOs |
Ptes |
GrandTotal |
|
|
Army |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
27 |
21 |
53 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
32 |
44 |
218 |
315 |
|
AirCorps |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
16 |
22 |
|
NavalService |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
30 |
|
TotalDefenceForces |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
30 |
26 |
61 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
33 |
46 |
260 |
367 |
|
LtGen |
MajGen |
BrigGen |
Col |
LtCol |
Comdt |
Capt |
Lt |
TotalOffrs |
Sm |
Bqms |
Cs |
Cqms |
Sgts |
Cpls |
TotalNCOs |
Ptes |
GrandTotal |
|
|
Army |
1 |
2 |
6 |
34 |
113 |
357 |
349 |
120 |
982 |
29 |
38 |
134 |
266 |
1054 |
1839 |
3360 |
4607 |
8949 |
|
Air Corps |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
32 |
45 |
29 |
118 |
5 |
4 |
36 |
12 |
112 |
180 |
349 |
397 |
864 |
|
Naval Service |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
40 |
32 |
33 |
118 |
7 |
5 |
60 |
13 |
177 |
188 |
450 |
391 |
959 |
|
TotalDefenceForces |
1 |
2 |
8 |
37 |
133 |
429 |
426 |
182 |
1218 |
41 |
47 |
230 |
291 |
1343 |
2207 |
4159 |
5395 |
10772 |
|
% of female personnel of total: |
Officers |
Other Ranks |
Total |
|||||||||||||||
|
Army |
5% |
3% |
4% |
|||||||||||||||
|
Air Corps |
3% |
2% |
3% |
|||||||||||||||
|
Naval Service |
3% |
3% |
3% |
|
Females Army |
Total Army |
Females NavalService |
Total NavalService |
Females AirCorps |
TotalAir Corps |
|
|
Officers |
51 (4.6%) |
1,096 |
2 (1.6%) |
123.00 |
3 (2.3%) |
129.00 |
|
Non-CommissionedRanks |
232 (2.7%) |
8,510 |
2 (0.2%) |
867.00 |
12 (1.4%) |
866.00 |
