Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2023
7. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the strategies and improvements required to attract females to enlist in the Defence Forces and to feel fully respected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5032/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn terms of recruitment strategies generally, as I have already highlighted, my immediate focus is on stabilising the staffing situation in the Naval Service, and thereafter on bringing the strength of the Naval Service and Defence Forces generally, to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Within this commitment, I wish to confirm that it is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels across the Defence Forces.
The High Level Action Plan agreed by Government on the Commission on the Defence Forces contains a range of recommendations designed to assist in increasing female participation in the Defence Forces. A number of these recommendations have been identified as early actions, including the appointment of a senior Gender Advisor at Colonel level, options for female participation at General Staff level, review of fitness standards, and the development of gender, diversity and unconscious bias training. These are critical recommendations which will underpin the commitment to moving to a strong representation by women across the ranks.
I would say that a number of initiatives are already in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation e.g.
- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer to promote gender equality policies and training
- A Defence Forces Women's Network with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel.
- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework. I have been advised that the Defence Forces have engaged a Marketing and Media partner to assist with recruitment advertising to ensure engagement with the recruitment demographic across social media and other media platforms.
While in Lebanon recently, I met with a number of female serving members who described the positive experiences in the Defence Forces and the opportunities they were able to avail of in terms of achieving valuable qualifications. This was heartening to hear and reinforces the fact that a key element of any successful organisation is that its members can undertake their work and avail of opportunities for advancement, in an environment underpinned by dignity, equality and respect.
The Judge-led Independent Review Group, established on 25 January 2022 has been examining the systems, policies and procedures for dealing with issues relating to bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces as well as the prevailing workplace culture.
As I have already mentioned earlier, the Group are nearing the conclusion of the report and it’s expected to be submitted to me later this week. I am very much looking forward to receiving this Report which I will be considering in full.
