Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Yes. Far more retired than was anticipated, especially in the period from January to February 2012. They did so because of the advantages in the pension that would accrue to them. After that had occurred we had to assess the impact on the Permanent Defence Force and make arrangements for recruitment which we advertised in June. When one advertises, there is a lead-in period. I may be corrected by my officials if I am wrong, but my recollection is that we advertised for in the region of 600 personnel. There were in the region of 10,000 applications which, once received, had to be assessed. Following this, there was a process whereby individuals initially selected had to go through an interview and health checks. A range of processes had to take place and we were not in a position to starting brining in people until September. The committee will be aware that of the 600 personnel, more than 400 have been recruited. We should be up to speed by the end of the year.