Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
86. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the extent to which he continues in his efforts to ensure the full implementation of all aspects of the report of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42535/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra124. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline the details of the Detailed Action Plan on Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42520/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra168. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the target date by which he intends to achieve Level of Ambition 2 of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42646/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 124 and 168 together.
The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, and its report was published on the 9th of February 2022. There were 69 main recommendations and with sub recommendations there were 130 recommendations in total. The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covered high-level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.
Given the significant recommendations contained in the Report, detailed consideration of these recommendations was undertaken over a period of 5 months by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. Following this engagement, a High Level Action Plan (HLAP) and a Memo for Government were brought to Government and approved on July 12th 2022. The High Level Action Plan set out the response of Government in relation to each of the 130 individual recommendations: Accept, Accept in Principle, Further Evaluation or Revert. 103 of its recommendations were accepted by Government for implementation, or accepted in principle, with 17 requiring further evaluation and a further 10 to revert to Government.
This involved the approval of a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces. The move to LOA2 is due to be complete by 2028. This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission. The Budget for 2023 included an increase of €67m over the 2022 budget for Defence. This demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.
The High Level Action Plan set out a total of 38 early actions to be completed within 6 months of the Government decision. A comprehensive written update on all 38 early actions was published on March 23rd of this year, and included the status of each of the 38 early actions in tabular form. To-date over 95% of the early actions have been achieved, with the remainder at an advanced stage and due to be completed shortly.
Government noted that, in light of the Commission’s report, there is an urgent need for HR and cultural transformation in the Defence Forces and this will be prioritised. The High Level Action Plan identified the recruitment, through an open process, for the new senior-level civilian positions of Head of Transformation and Head of Strategic HR for the Defence Forces as early actions required to progress this transformation. I welcome the recent appointments of Mr. Brian Molloy to the position of Defence Forces’ Head of Transformation and Mr. Declan Carville to the position of Head of Strategic HR.
The High Level Action Plan set out initial implementation and oversight structures. An independently chaired Implementation Oversight Group has been established to monitor the implementation of the recommendations approved by Government. Ms. Julie Sinnamon has been appointed as the independent chair of the Implementation Oversight Group. There have been six meetings of the Group to date, most recently on the 21st of September. A High-Level Steering Board has been established, chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, to oversee the implementation. The High Level Steering Board met for the first time on the 1st of March.
A number of key achievements in relation to the Commission’s recommendations include:
• HR measures including Temporary Associate Membership of ICTU and pay and allowance structures delivered;
• recruitment and induction strategies developed encompassing advertising, expanded recruitment and induction capacity;
• establishment of the Office of Reserve Affairs.
I also recently announced the decision to allow all enlisted members of the Defence Forces to benefit from the same access to private secondary health care as applies to commissioned officers.
A key early action, and key output from the opening phase of the Transformation Programme, the development of a detailed implementation plan, is now being finalised. It is anticipated that the detailed implementation plan will be published later this month.
On the 26th of September I published the Strategic Framework for the Transformation of the Defence Forces. The aim of this Strategic Framework is to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into an organisation that is fit for the purpose of defending the State, and meeting the challenges of today and the future. Key actions to be delivered before the end of 2024 from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF) and the Report of the Independent Review Group on Dignity and Equality issues in the Defence Forces (IRG) are set out in the Strategic Framework. In addition to these key actions, the clear and transparent governance and reporting arrangements, which will be critical in the driving and overseeing delivery, are explained in the Strategic Framework.
