Bríd Smith
Ceist:31. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to address the chronic staff shortages in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44188/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 18 October 2017
Ceisteanna (31)
Freagraí ó Béal (8 píosaí cainte)
The Minister of State will probably repeat much of what he said to other Deputies. I ask him to outline how he will try to improve the chronic staff shortages in the Defence Forces. What steps will he take to ensure more recruitment takes place and staff shortages are addressed?
The White Paper on Defence, published in 2015, sets out the Government’s defence policy for the next decade. Any discussion on Defence Forces capability, numbers of personnel and so on needs to be framed in the context of the White Paper on Defence which commits to maintaining the strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service personnel.
The strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 30 September was 9,062 personnel and further inductions have been ongoing since that date. There is significant ongoing recruitment at enlisted and officer level, and it is anticipated that 800 new personnel will have been inducted into the Permanent Defence Force during 2017. This includes general service recruits, apprentices, cadets and direct entry officers. A further recruitment campaign is under way with a closing date of 27 October 2017 and will provide a panel for recruit inductions in 2018.
A range of recruitment methods are being employed, including direct entry competitions for specialist positions, and the scope to further expand direct entry is being considered. I have also directed civil and military management to develop terms and conditions to allow former members of the Defence Forces with sought after skills to return to service. I expect to be in receipt of these shortly.
The fact that further consideration by the Public Service Pay Commission of recruitment and retention issues is provided for under the public service stability agreement 2018-2020 is also a welcome development. We must also not lose sight of the fact that Defence Forces personnel join up of their own free will and I believe great efforts are being made, within that context, to maximise the numbers coming into the Defence Forces.
The actions I have described are actions which are currently being carried out. It is also necessary to plan for the future on a longer-term basis. With this in mind, I have directed that some White Paper projects be brought forward. This work will help in identifying where gaps will occur for particular skill sets and allow for more targeted manpower planning.
I remain committed to maximising recruitment to the Defence Forces and ensuring that, where possible, the terms and conditions of service ensure that the Defence Forces remains an attractive career choice. With the support of the Chief of Staff, and within the resources available, the Government is committed to retaining the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government at home and overseas.
I have to reject the idea that what the Minister of State has proposed will work. A second recruitment campaign took place this year and, as other Deputies have pointed out, there is an exodus from the Defence Forces, as well as significant staff turnover.
I refer to conditions. The Public Sector Pay Commission reported that there was a reduction in expressions of interest in the Defence Forces, from 10,000 in 2012 to 5,000 last year. That must be very worrying for the Minister of State, as the man in charge.
I and others, including many sailors and soldiers, would acknowledge that this is due to the poor pay and conditions. Those in the Army have a maximum career of 21 years. The working time directive does not apply to them. Many work over 70 hours a week for no extra remuneration as they do not receive overtime. In other words, they are not appropriately paid for the number of hours they work.
They are excluded from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and have no right to strike. When gardaí received remuneration in respect of rent because they refused to endorse the Lansdowne Road agreement, that decision was applied to prison officers and firefighters but not members of the Defence Forces. We congratulate them for the wonderful job they do, but they are not being given their rights.
There were pay increases for members of the Defence Forces in the Lansdowne Road agreement, which they signed up to. They now have an opportunity to sign up to the extended Lansdowne Road agreement. The Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, announced yesterday that the Public Service Pay Commission will begin work shortly. It will examine a number of areas. The Defence Forces were specifically mentioned in the Minister's press release, as well as certain areas of the health sector and professional posts within the Civil Service. The Minister has recognised that there are pinch points in terms of retention in the organisation, and I would be the first to recognise that.
The men and women who are defending human rights throughout the world, whether it is in the Mediterranean, Mali or the Golan Heights, are being denied their human rights by the Government due to the level of inappropriate pay for the amount of hours they work, the lack of access to proper trade union organisation and a range of other complaints which have been brought before the Minister of State to date. There is a high level of staff turnover.
Low pay is being addressed only because most members of the Defence Forces are in receipt of family income supplement, FIS. A significant number rely on the payment in order to pay hectic rents and for the extra travel they have to engage in because of relocation following the closure of barracks. The Government has failed entirely to deal with the issue.
Women are being targeted because only 6% of Defence Forces' members are women. The Minister of State has not indicated how he can attract women into such low paid and bad conditions where there is a disregard for their rights.
The Deputy and other members of her group have often thrown out the line that significant numbers of members of the Defence Forces are in receipt of FIS. That is totally incorrect. I will send on information on the number of people within the Defence Forces in receipt of FIS. She will be quite surprised to learn that the numbers are not as large as she and her colleagues have spoken about in the Chamber and outside. I will clarify the position for her.
Any level is unacceptable.
I have to stay within the confines of public pay and the extended Lansdowne Road agreement. I would love to be able to take out the public pay chequebook and start giving people pay increases across the board. However, I do not have the power to do that. I have to work with the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform when he sets out public pay for all sectors within the public service.
I understand that the Deputy has her own frustrations, as do I. I was honest with members of the Defence Forces when I addressed their conference. I have fought and will continue to fight for them. That is why I was able to secure an extra increase of €5,000 for new trained regular members of the Defence Forces.