David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome our guests and thank them for the work they are doing. The report was published at lunchtime and members received an advance copy, which I glanced through. There are a lot of good aspirations and intentions in the strategic framework. One thing that jumped out at me was that the detailed implementation plan from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces will be published next month, in October 2023. We look forward to that as it will detail what we need to do. It is fine having high-level aspirations but I am interested in drilling down into the detail of exactly what will happen on the ground.

I note RTÉ is reporting that an operation is under way in the Atlantic, off Cork, as we speak, with a container ship being boarded as part of a drug smuggling investigation. We have personnel out there in dangerous situations and I thank them for the work they do. They are putting their lives on the line in boarding ships like that in an armed situation, which cannot be easy. I want to remember what they are doing and thank them for it.

I will ask the Chief of Staff a specific question that I brought up the last time he was here, as it a concern to me. As Deputy Carthy alluded to, we have projected inductions of 425 this year, with 481 members having already left the Defence Forces. We are all concerned about that. To come back to the number the Chief of Staff provided, in mid-August, which I assume is August 2023, there were 4,694 expressions of interest in joining the Defence Forces. Some 43% of those did not continue with the engagement. At almost half the number, that is quite a lot. Of the remaining 2,035 who presented to do the psychometric test, 59% passed and the rest failed, which is a large number. I question the use of psychometric tests. I noticed the Defence Forces have stopped using them in the Naval Service. What has been the impact of that? Has it improved matters in the Naval Service in any way? I know there is a review ongoing and we will get another report on that later.

I have looked at the psychometric tests. They are quite difficult. Even though people are advised to practise them, and I know people have paid outside agencies to coach them, we still have huge numbers failing. These are people who are interested in going forward, I would expect. Are we actually turning people away unnecessarily at a very early stage? That is one question.

The other issue further down is that we end up with 374 eventually being called through and going to medical examination and the interview, of the 4,696 who started off. That is a huge drop-off in numbers. Have the officials looked at that to see if we can do anything to encourage the people who initially expressed an interest to join to stay engaged? Are we putting hurdles and barriers in their way and turning them away unnecessarily?

I also want to ask about the general recruitment strategy, which Deputy Carthy alluded to. What is the engagement at the moment with schools and colleges for personnel going in directly and recruiting there? When somebody appears in uniform it has an impact. When they tell of the lifestyle, it has an impact. Is that ongoing at the moment in schools and colleges across the country?

On the Naval Service seagoing allowance, how many people availed of it last year and the year before? The Secretary General might be able to answer this. Has any consideration been given to a retention payment for personnel? When someone reaches the stage where their time is up, they get a retention payment of so much per year to stay on, on top of their wages. I understand other jurisdictions are doing that. Has any consideration been given to it here in Ireland, or is it in place in some shape or form I am not aware of?

Finally, could the Secretary General tell me about the connection at the moment with the Women of Honour and the cultural change they have asked for? Will they be included in the tribunal that is being established?