Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 June 2012
525 Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Defence when the value for money review of the Reserve Defence Forces will be completed; his plans for the RDF; if there will be future recruitment to the RDF and his plans to ensure that future and current members can remain active members whilst in the RDF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29321/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraA Value for Money Review (VFM) of the Reserve Defence Force is ongoing and the recommendations arising from this review will inform future plans for the Reserve. The Steering Committee met most recently on the 6th June last, and drafting of the Review is continuing. I have asked the Steering Committee to progress the Review as quickly as possible and I anticipate its completion by the end of September. Training in the Reserve is both paid and unpaid. Paid training is provided for both existing members and new recruits. The number of new recruits that can be attested is linked to the level of funding available for paid training.
There have been significant reductions in Defence funding over recent years and paid mandays for members of the Reserve reduced from approximately 60,000 mandays in 2009 to 30,000 mandays in 2010. This level of paid training has been retained despite further reductions in the Defence Vote in 2011 and 2012. These 30,000 paid mandays can provide training for existing members of the Reserve and support training for approximately 400 recruits during 2012. Further recruitment will be informed by recommendations arising from the Value for Money Review and the prioritisation of resources.
