John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I have several issues to raise with the Tánaiste. The first concerns the current strength of the Permanent Defence Force. I welcome the new metric but it is bizarre that it is new. The output target for this year is to increase the numbers up to 8,600 from what is, in my estimation, an all-time low of 7,987 currently. Will the Tánaiste outline what plans are in place for immediate recruitment to increase the numbers from this all-time low?

Numbers within the Reserve Defence Force, RDF, are also in free fall. According to an article in one of the national newspapers during the week, the general secretary of the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association, RDFRA, stated that there are just 755 Army reservists who are active and who undertook paid training last year. It is estimated that we are 3,250 reservists below the establishment figure of 3,869. This major crisis in the reserves has long been highlighted.

It is not the first time we have heard about issues with RDF recruitment campaigns. The RDF's online application portal opened last year and was inundated. It had to be closed because of a shortage of resources to deal with the large number of applications. It is a matter of concern that many of those applicants lost interest and pulled out because of the failure to follow up on their expressions of interest about joining the RDF. I raised the matter with the Tánaiste's predecessor, the current Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, who acknowledged that it was a serious issue and said it would not happen again. Unfortunately, there is a reputation of failure in terms of following up quickly with people who express a desire to join the RDF. The Tánaiste might touch on this matter.

The target for the number of female members of the Defence Forces has remained static. It was 12% in 2021 and 2022, and it will be 12% in 2023. There is no ambition in this target whatsoever. We are acutely aware of major issues within the Defence Forces. While work is ongoing in respect of legacy issues, issues remain. Worryingly, the percentage of female inductees to the Permanent Defence Force in 2019 was 6.9% and increased to 7.8% in 2020, but it decreased to 7.6% in 2021. I am unsure as to whether we have a figure for 2022 and whether it shows there is a downward trend. The Tánaiste might provide an analysis of this matter.

Everyone is proud of the members of the Defence Forces who go on overseas deployments. Late last year, we saw how dangerous such deployments can be. It was highlighted by the representative organisations, and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, that we are at risk of failing to meet our obligation to deploy members on missions. I asked the Tánaiste's predecessor about this. There is a crisis owing to the shortage in the number of Defence Forces members, including skilled personnel. Members of the Defence Forces are returning from overseas deployment only to then be randomly selected soon afterwards to go back. While deployment overseas is done on a voluntary basis, there is a mandatory selection to fill some positions. Bizarrely, the number of people who were mandatorily select was not recorded within the Defence Forces. I was told that a new process was going to be put in place and that that figure was going to be recorded. The situation is creating major tensions, particularly for personnel with young families who are selected again after returning home. The Tánaiste might update us on the number of mandatory selections for overseas duties. It is a serious issue within the Defence Forces.

Last year, there was a great deal of concern about Cathal Brugha barracks. One of the Tánaiste's Cabinet colleagues made a big announcement about how the barracks would be developed for housing. This caused significant concern within the Defence Forces. It later transpired that funding had been provided to carry out a feasibility study. We were told that this study would take between nine and 12 months. That was in January of last year. Does the Tánaiste have an update on the study? Has it been completed? Have all stakeholders been engaged on its outcome? Will the Tánaiste outline briefly the study's recommendations? The argument is that it is critical that the Defence Forces have Cathal Brugha barracks in the capital to deal with security risks and so on. False promises have been given to the Defence Forces previously about something being built in return for their barracks being taken, yet that something has never materialised.

I wish to ask about an article in The Journalabout the Defence Forces' branding campaign. According to the article, approximately €140,000 was set aside for a tender for merchandising and branding. Is this part of an overall recruitment campaign? What is the intention behind the tender and branding?

It is a year since the publication of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The committee will engage in a work programme. We hope to meet the new chair of the implementation body and other key stakeholders in that regard, but I wish to ask the Tánaiste for his views on certain aspects of the report. Many of its 130 recommendations were accepted in principle, but 17 were to go for further evaluation. Some of those 17 are important recommendations. Has the evaluation taken place? I am referring to the high-level action plan, under which ten other recommendations were to revert to the Government. The Tánaiste probably does not have the plan in front of him, but it reads: "The Minister [this used to be Deputy Coveney] favours implementation of these recommendations 2, 3, 4 and 5." Some of these are very important, for example, that the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service should become services, have service headquarters and have parity of esteem.