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Defence Forces Personnel

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2012

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Ceisteanna (8, 9, 10)

Charlie McConalogue

Ceist:

7Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Defence the further progress he has made to date in implementing his decision to reduce the number of brigades from three to two; the discussions he has held with stakeholders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24575/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

26Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence his plans for the restructuring of the Defence Forces organisation, including plans to reduce the number of brigades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24406/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí ó Béal (12 píosaí cainte)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 26 together.

Arising from the Government's comprehensive review of expenditure, the strength ceiling of the Permanent Defence Force was reduced to 9,500 personnel. In response to this reduced strength ceiling, I initiated a major reorganisation of the Defence Forces, both permanent and reserve. The reorganisation will ensure that, within the strength level of 9,500 Pemanent Defence Force personnel, the operational effectiveness of the Permanent Defence Force is prioritised. A reduction in the number of Army brigades from the current three to two will bolster the availability of operational personnel by reducing the numbers of military personnel assigned to administrative and support functions. I tasked the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General of the Department of Defence to bring forward detailed proposals for my consideration. Work is ongoing in this regard. The Deputies will appreciate that in advance of receiving a final report, I will not be in a position to discuss likely options or recommendations or to release aspects of the approach as this is an ongoing deliberative process.

The representative associations and other relevant stakeholders will be consulted on matters that fall within their remit when options on the re-organised structure are considered and the likely impacts are known.

I am conscious that we discussed this matter yesterday in the joint committee when the Minister outlined a timescale, which he might reiterate now for the record of the House. Can the Minister give the House an idea by how many the number of officerships will be reduced? Have any specific decisions been taken in this regard? The Minister also said yesterday there would be no barracks closures on the back of the reorganisation of the brigades.

I will start with the Deputy's last question. I can confirm that there will not be barracks closures based on the reorganisation.

With regard to the Deputy's other questions, I do not want to pre-empt or prejudge the outcome of the process that is underway and in which the Secretary General of my Department, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and officials of my Department and supports of the Chief of Staff are engaged. They are looking at the overall structure of the Defence Forces and how best to organise matters to maximise capabilities and operational effectiveness. That will involve looking at how the Defence Forces are currently structured, the numbers required at officer level and the importance of maximising available financial resources to ensure that we have the required number of troops on the ground and that there is not a disproportion between officers and other ranks. These are all issues for careful concern. Hard work is going on in the background to deal with this matter in a constructive and progressive way. I look forward to the completion of that work.

I do not want to be definitive with regard to timescales as given the complexity of this issue timeframes may not be exactly complied with. I hope the reorganisation structures and architecture will be agreed before the end of this year, that we will start along the road to implementation and that real change will be seen to be taking place by early next year. The programme and the manner in which the reorganisation is to be put in place will become known as we go further through the year. In another eight weeks or so, I should have a clearer view of the exact timeframe by which I would expect to have the final report from the process that is now under way.

I understand the Minister will visit Custume Barracks in Athlone on Monday next, to make an announcement regarding an air ambulance service. He will be very welcome in Athlone. We have been campaigning for 13 years for a helicopter emergency service and we hope the Minister's announcement will be the first stage in seeing it happen.

There is much concern in Custume Barracks about the proposed two brigade structure. When the proposal was previously mooted the Defence Forces were anxious that a brigade would be based in the Dublin metropolitan area. At the time, an analysis was completed by PricewaterhouseCoopers recommending that there be a taskforce for the Dublin area and that one of the two brigades would cover the northern half of the country and one would cover the southern half.

What is the status of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report? It did recommend the structures the Minister is now considering. Will he take the recommendations of the report into consideration before he makes a final decision on this matter?

As a process is now under way, I will not pre-empt or prejudge that process. All I can say to the Deputy is that all issues of relevance will be taken into account as we switch from a three-brigade structure to a two-brigade structure. The operational and capacity issues will be taken into account and how best to deal with a broad range of matters.

In regard to Athlone, as a consequence of the closures that have taken place, as the Deputy may be aware, there is now an increased number in Athlone Barracks. It is in the region of 1,050. The future of Athlone Barracks is secure. I will not pre-empt in any way any recommendations or try to second guess any recommendations that might be made to me with regard to the reorganisation that is taking place. In particular with regard to decisions as to where the headquarters of where the particular brigades should be located.

I accept there is no threat to the future of Custume Barracks in Athlone. It would be ludicrous in the current context considering it is now the biggest Army barracks in the country. However, the concern locally relates to the redeployment of troops from Custume Barracks to other barracks around the country. Could the Minister clarify whether such a redeployment will take place and the number that will be involved if Custume Barracks were to lose the western command headquarters which it currently holds?

It was pointed out in the PricewaterhouseCoopers report that to maximise the use of resources, the best thing to do would be to have a two-brigade structure, one for the northern half of the country which could be easily operated from Custume Barracks in Athlone, and one for the southern half of the country and to have a taskforce for the Dublin area – that there should not be a brigade headquarters based in Dublin. What is the status of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report? Will its recommendations be taken into consideration before a final decision is made?

I hope the Deputy understands that if a process is under way with regard to a reorganisation of the Defence Forces, issues of deployment will be part of the issues that are considered within the context of that process. I appreciate that the Deputy is essentially making the case that a brigade headquarters should continue to be based in Athlone. I presume that every Member of this House who represents Cork would make the same case on behalf of Cork and every Member who represents various constituencies in Dublin would make the same case on behalf of Dublin. I have asked that a process be undertaken to examine what is in the interests of the country with regard to how we should reorganise the Defence Forces. The location of brigade headquarters is part of the process. I will not second-guess the process; I simply reiterate what I have said to the Deputy, that any issues of relevance that should be considered in the deliberative process that is now under way will be addressed.

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

8Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of ranks in the Defence Forces; his plans to allow promotions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24604/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

I propose to circulate a table with the Official Report, which outlines the number of vacancies in the Permanent Defence Force by rank. The number of vacancies, by rank, is based on the employment control framework of 10,000 - all ranks - in the Permanent Defence Force, versus the strength of 8,885 as at 30 April 2012. This is the latest date for which figures are available. As the House is aware, the Government agreed that the strength of the Defences Forces by the end of the year would be maintained at 9,500. The recruitment process has already started. Competitions under the new fully competitive merit-based promotion schemes agreed for generals have taken place while competitions for officers and non-commissioned officers are ongoing.

As the Deputy will be aware a major re-organisation of the Defence Forces has been initiated resulting from the Government decision to maintain the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500. This reorganisation, which will prioritise front line service delivery, will have an impact on the number of vacancies in each rank. I have asked the Chief-of-Staff and the Secretary General of my Department to bring forward detailed reorganisation proposals for my consideration. Work is ongoing in this regard. The effect of the changes on promotion cannot be determined until the proposals are considered and decisions made. Promotions will be carried out within the resource envelope allocated to defence during the course of the year.

Strength of the Permanent Defence Force, as at 30 April 2012 as compared with ECF figures

LTGEN

MAJGEN

BRIGGEN

COL

LTCOL

COMDT

CAPT/LT

SM/ BQMS

CS/ CQMS

SGTS/ CPLS

PTES/ CADETS

TOTAL

Strength at 30 April 2012

1

2

8

34

133

293

804

66

326

2,765

4,453

8,885

ECF

1

2

9

43

152

370

774

96

540

3,250

4,763

10,000

Vacancies by rank

-

-

-1

-9

-19

-77

+30

-30

-214

-485

-310

-1,115

Not all ranks are under-resourced. Based on the employment control framework figure of 10,000, the current strength of the Defence Forces of just under 9,000 indicates that we have an excess of captains - there are 30 too many – but the number of sergeants and corporals is down by 485. I understand the numbers are to be rebalanced under the reorganisation of the Defence Forces. Is there a timeframe for when that will happen? I accept the brigade structure is being reorganised from three to two at the moment. Will there be an interview process to fill in the shortfall in the ranks? We received the reply by email so I am aware of the figures. The table indicates we have 30 captains too many. I presume it is hoped to promote some of them up to the next rank to balance the figures across the board.

In the context of dealing with the general issue, first, part of the process in which we are now engaging is to examine the balance between members of particular ranks and ordinary members of the Defence Forces to ensure there is not a disproportion in the context of those at officer level as compared to enlisted personnel. In the absence of the final report I will receive from the Chief-of-Staff and the Secretary General, it is not possible to state what the distribution of ranks in the new structure will be. I emphasise that the key focus will be on ensuring the operational capabilities of the Permanent Defence Force are maximised as opposed to maintaining ratios. During the course of this year some promotions are taking place and, where appropriate, competitions are being held. In the context of decisions made, we will bear in mind that decisions made should not create a difficulty with regard to there being a disproportionate ratio of officers to ordinary personnel. There is an important issue in that context in terms of maximising the use of resources. We must ensure we have the enlisted personnel we require, which is why we have started the process of recruitment. As the Deputy is aware from a previous announcement I made, there will be 600 recruits to the Defence Forces this year, which will ensure we return to the level of 9,500 after the various retirements that have taken place. Later in the year we will have a clearer perspective of matters with regard to the officers in the Defence Forces and the proportionality between officers and enlisted members.

In October last year the Minister sanctioned the recruitment of officers in the Reserve Defence Forces to bring the complement up to 70%. The figures we were given at the time indicated there would need to be 68 promotions. Did the promotions proceed or are they also on hold pending the overall review?

Promotions have taken place. In 2011, for example, 138 officers and 219 enlisted personnel were promoted. To date this year, promotions include the appointment of one major general, four brigadier generals, 120 officers and 27 enlisted personnel.

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