Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2017
836. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way his Department is responding to a climate survey that was carried out in 2016 and which showed low morale among Defence Forces personnel, whose reduced take-home pay is not enough to pay for the significantly increased travelling costs due to relocation following the closure of several barracks in recent years. [9627/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Defence Forces Climate Survey was published in 2016, its purpose being to inform consideration of the ongoing human resource and strategic needs of the Defence Forces. The Survey was commissioned on foot of a recommendation in the third and most recent Report of the Independent Monitoring Group (IMG). A similar survey was conducted in 2008 and in line with that survey, approximately 11% of Defence Forces personnel were sampled on this occasion.
The key findings of the Survey are grouped under topics such as Work Life Balance, Peer Support, Organisational Justice (within the Organisation), Procedural Justice, Organisational Fairness, Defence Forces Integrity and Supervisory Justice. The Survey findings clearly point to challenges for the Defence Forces, particularly in the areas of leadership, communication, organisational culture, the working environment and active management of personal expectations. While there are areas of concern raised by the survey which need to be addressed, there were also many positive sentiments expressed in relation to the commitment of personnel to the values of the Organisation, high levels of work satisfaction, pride in the Organisation and positive views on culture and peer support.
The responses to the issues raised in the Climate Survey resulted in the formulation of an Action Plan which is being led by the Chief of Staff and involves engagement by all levels of management within the Defence Forces communicating effectively and knowledgeably with the personnel working to them. I have met with the Representative Associations to hear their views and concerns in relation to the Report. It was agreed at that meeting that the Representative Associations would be fully engaged in the response to the Report and the proposed action plan through the IMG Framework where they can put forward their views on appropriate responses.
The initiatives in the Action Plan included the conducting of additional Focus Group Surveys in order to provide further information on conditions within the Defence Forces, the implementation of White Paper projects relating to Human Resource issues, the continuation and improvement of Exit Surveys, the improvement of the Defence Forces internal communications plan and the adoption of an integrated competency framework. The conduct of Focus Groups will provide for the collection and analysis of qualitative data to complement and further inform the quantitative nature of the Climate Survey findings.
A total of seventy three (73) Focus Groups have recently been conducted throughout the Defence Forces. The Focus Groups were grouped by rank, based on the findings of the Climate Survey research and were held at every permanently occupied Post and Barracks in the Defence Forces and in UNDOF on the Golan Heights. A very significant volume of raw data has been gathered for analysis. The University of Limerick (UL) researchers have indicated that Focus Group analysis will be provided in Quarter 2/3 2017.
Despite the challenges facing the Organisation, I believe that we now have the structures in place to not alone address low morale in the Defence Forces but to deliver a more effective, energetic and sustainable Organisation into the future.
