Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 23 and 69 together.

Entry to the Permanent Defence Force is either through the cadetship competition, apprenticeship competition, general service enlistment or direct entry competitions that are held to fill vacancies in specialist appointments. All applicants for each of these entry streams are required to meet qualifying criteria.

The question of the recruitment of foreign nationals to the Defence Forces is not a new one. Defence Force regulations have always allowed for the recruitment of ethnic minorities and foreign nationals to the Defence Forces. However, the operational requirements of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces are not directly comparable. My Department is not specifically targeting the recruitment of ethnic minorities for the Defence Forces at present. Current emphasis is on ensuring that there are no barriers to ethnic minorities or foreign nationals joining the Defence Forces. I have recently made changes to the cadet competition to broaden the entry criteria, thereby making it easier for qualifying foreign nationals to apply for cadetships.

In addition the Defence Forces equality policy, which was recently produced and formalised, underpins equality legislation. The policy states that the Defence Forces are committed to the principles of equal opportunities in all employment policies, procedures and regulations and will operate in an environment without discrimination in areas provided for by the Equality Acts. The policy also ensures that the principles of employment equality are employed in recruitment, promotion, training and work experience. All regulations and administrative instructions concerning service in the Defence Forces will be set out in a manner consistent with the equal opportunity policy, which will be reviewed with the Defence Force regulations on an ongoing basis by the Deputy chief of staff — support — to ensure compliance with best practice and to maintain a working environment in which all members of the Defence Forces are treated in a manner consistent with equal opportunities.

At the moment the primary focus in recruitment is to attract people with the core competencies required by the Defence Forces. Any specialist linguistic skills or cultural knowledge requirements identified by the chief of staff can be addressed through recruitment or through personnel development. My Department and the Defence Forces are fully committed to ensuring that all who wish to join the Defence Forces, including ethnic minorities and foreign nationals, are given the opportunity to do so.

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