John Brady
Ceist:
376. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of members of the Defence Forces of all ranks who have been selected for mandatory overseas duty in each of the past five years; the number of appeals that were made; the number of appeals that were successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61584/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra
The Military Authorities advise that it is not possible to collate the required information in the time available. I will revert to the Deputy as soon as the information is made available to me.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
It was not possible to provide the information you requested within the given timeframe, as I was advised by the Military Authorities that the data is not held centrally by Defence Forces Headquarters, Human Resources Branch, but by various Corps, Directorates and Formation Commands and this would take additional time to collate.
I have now been further advised by the Military Authorities that the information sought by the Deputy is not tracked consistently across the Formations and Directorates of the Defence Forces. Therefore, I regret that I am not in a position to provide you with a figure that is an accurate reflection of the number of personnel mandatorily selected for overseas service each year.
In addition, the Military Authorities have informed me that the records of appeals against mandatory selection for overseas service are not maintained because the information is often of a sensitive nature.
However, I am also advised that plans are in place to upgrade the Personnel Management System which will provide Defence Forces Headquarters with a supervisory capacity to track and maintain records of mandatory selection and associated appeals centrally, without the requirement for the retention of supporting documentation.
The Deputy may also be aware that the procedures for the selection of Defence Forces personnel for overseas service, including mandatory selection, are governed by Defence Forces Regulations and the Associated Administrative Instructions. In circumstances where there are an insufficient numbers of volunteers to fill overseas appointments, Formation Commanders and Corps Directorates mandatorily select suitable personnel for the appointments to be filled. Unit Commanders interview all prospective mandatory selectees of their unit for overseas deployment and decide whether or not to recommend mandatory selection accordingly. Where there is a non-recommendation, the mandatory selection of an individual does not proceed.
Personnel selected for Mandatory Overseas Deployment may appeal their selection. They must do so within seven days of the date on which they were paraded and informed of their provisional mandatory selection by their Unit Commander.
