Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is agreed. The second petition, No. 14/22, proposes to raise the Defence Forces’ upper age limit and is under the name of Mr. Stephen Martin. The petitioner considers that current upper age limits for joining the Defence Forces are very restrictive and, as a result, there is a risk the Defence Forces are missing out on suitable candidates who are keen to join but are currently above the age limits. The Department of Defence responded providing information on current age limits for general service, technicians, cadets and certain specialist positions, and advising there are no current plans to change the limits set out. The secretariat forwarded the correspondence from the Department of Defence to Mr. Martin and received a reply from him setting out the various reasons he thinks the age limit should be reviewed and raised, including understaffing. The petitioner stated the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, acknowledged in a Dáil debate on 12 May 2022 that the "Permanent Defence Force is currently under strength by just over 1,000 personnel" and to reach the level of ambition the Defence Forces are aiming for would "require an additional 2,000 personnel beyond the establishment figure of 9,500".

The committee recommends the correspondence from Mr. Martin be sent to Ms Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General of the Department of Defence, for comment and to please respond within 14 days. Do members have any views on this petition?