Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 May 2018
67. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if members of the Reserve Defence Forces have legal protection regarding the safeguarding of their positions in their regular employment if they are absent due to RDF missions abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19244/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Terms and Conditions for members of the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve are outlined in Defence Force Regulations R5 and Administrative Instruction R5.
Members of the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve are not employed or engaged under a contract of employment and are not employees per se. A contract of employment stipulates the hours of work, hours of attendance or other related matters normally associated with the concept of gainful employment. Furthermore, service with the Army Reserve and Naval Service Reserve is not pensionable under the Army Pension Schemes.
Ensuring an appropriate balance between voluntary activities and work and home life is a key challenge that is common to individuals involved in many voluntary organisations throughout the State. I am aware that some members of the Reserve have expressed concerns that attendance requirements as Reservists would necessitate them having to take excessive time off work and they see employment protection legislation as a way to facilitate such attendance.
As members of the Reserve undertake activities on a voluntary basis, there are currently no plans to introduce such legislation.
There is no provision in the Defence Acts to deploy members of the RDF on overseas peace support operations. The White Paper on Defence (2015) commits to developing a Specialist Reserve and, in this context, where there are skills gaps there may be opportunities for such Reservists to serve overseas on a voluntary basis. The Specialist Reserve will be progressed as part of the overall White Paper implementation process.
