Vol. 532 No. 3
98 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Defence the overtime being paid to Army personnel on Border duty arising from the foot and mouth scare; if he has satisfied himself that they are being treated in a similar way as Garda personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7261/01]
Working hours in the Defence Forces vary considerably depending on unit, location, appointment held, the type of duty performed and the exigencies of the service at any given time. Accordingly, and due to the distinctive nature of military duties and military life, overtime is not payable to members of the Permanent Defence Forces.
In addition to basic pay, military service allowance is payable to members of the Permanent Defence Force up to and including the rank of colonel to compensate personnel for the special conditions associated with military life, such as the unsocial hours of duty, being subject to transfers and a requirement to serve in a wide range of conditions. The current rate in the case of officers is £2,502 per annum, and in the case of non-commissioned officers and privates is £65.83 per week – £3,423 per annum. Privates with less than three years' service receive £23.70 per week. These allowances are paid, irrespective of the actual hours worked, on a continuous basis, including periods of annual leave and sick leave.
A range of other allowances are payable to members of the Defence Forces for the performance of particular duties involving service significantly in excess of normal duty hours.
Permanent Defence Force personnel serving in Border units are in receipt of a Border duty allowance of £59.63 per week in the case of officers and £53.74 per week in the case of non-commissioned officers and privates. All personnel who are engaged on Border duties arising from the foot and mouth scare will be eligible to be paid Border duty allowance in addition to their normal regimental pay and military service allowance.
The rates of remuneration of the Permanent Defence Force, including military service allowance and Border duty allowance, were determined by the Gleeson Commission in 1990. The commission concluded that military duties were clearly in a distinctive category from other uniformed services and that it would not be appropriate to fix military pay exclusively, or even primarily, by reference to the pay of gardaí.
