Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In March 2011 when we came into government, the objective strength of the Defence Forces was 11,500. It was to go down to 9,000 and be reduced further to the 8,000 mark. Having regard for the financial realities of the State and our defence needs at home and abroad, a decision was made to create an objective strength of 9,500. With a smaller force, of course, there is a somewhat reduced opportunity for promotions. These are issues which must be dealt with in the public interest. We must make decisions, within the strength we have, to ensure the numbers are fit for purpose in the context of age profile. An interesting statistic is that to date in 2013, a total of 51 officers were promoted but 550 enlisted personnel were also promoted. There have been quite a number of promotions. However, these issues have to be addressed by having regard to the public interest and ensuring the capabilities of the Defence Forces in their varied tasks. There is an overall issue with regard to age profile and capacities that cannot be ignored in the interests of the Defence Forces and ensuring they can undertake the varied tasks that fall on their shoulders.