Defence Forces

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2022

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

Ceisteanna (906, 907, 910, 911)

John Brady

Ceist:

906. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the maximum and current strength levels of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29655/22]

John Brady

Ceist:

907. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the maximum and current strength levels of the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29656/22]

John Brady

Ceist:

910. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces by rank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29659/22]

John Brady

Ceist:

911. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces who are serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29660/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 906, 907, 910 and 911 together.

The following table details the requested current strength details, as at 30 April 2022, along with the corresponding establishment strength.

	Current Strength (WTE)	Establishment
Permanent Defence Force	8,297	9,500
Army	6,714	7,520
Air Corps	730	886
Naval Service	853	1,094

Of the 8,297 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel, 586 were female. The requested breakdown of this female strength, by rank, is as follows:

OFFICER	LT GEN	MAJ GEN	BRIG GEN	COL	LT COL	COMDT	CAPT	LT
	0	0	1	1	2	59	50	52
OTHER RANKS	SM	BQMS	CS	CQMS	SGT	CPL	PTE	CADET
	0	0	5	8	67	104	232	5

As at 30 April 2022, there were 560 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel serving overseas, of which 36 were female.

The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation. In addition, in the context of the White Paper on Defence, a specific project is ongoing to conduct a survey to identify any impediments to the advancement of women in the Permanent Defence Force.

Furthermore, the work of the Commission on the Defence Forces included, inter alia, consideration of gender, recruitment and retention matters. Following relevant consultation, I will revert to Government with a proposed response to the Commission's recommendations and a high-level action plan, which will set out proposed timelines and oversight arrangements for its implementation.

Question No. 907 answered with Question No. 906.