Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 sets out a figure of 10,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force comprising 930 for the Air Corps, 1,144 for the Naval Service and 8,426 for the Army. I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as at 31 October 2009 was 10, 013 broken down as follows: 807 for the Air Corps, 1,031 for the Naval Service and 8,175 for the Army. On 31 October 2009 the difference between the authorised strength of the Defence Forces and the actual strength was therefore 487. The distribution of these vacancies between the various formations is being managed by the Chief of Staff on an ongoing basis. The detailed breakdown between the various formations is not immediately available and can be forwarded to the Deputy if required.

I am acutely aware of the impact of the moratorium on the Permanent Defence Force, particularly in light of the very high turnover rate that is part of any military organisation. I am monitoring that impact on an ongoing basis in conjunction with the Chief of Staff and my departmental officials. Specific requirements have been identified and I am in ongoing contact with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, regarding limited exceptions to the moratorium, which are targeted at maintaining the operational capability and command arrangements of the Permanent Defence Force.

To date, I have obtained sanction to fill a number of key posts, including Deputy Chief of Staff, operations, two brigadier-general posts and director of military prosecutions as well as achieving agreement to recruit 42 cadets for which the competition has been recently run. In addition, sanction was granted for 42 acting appointments for our mission to Chad and 20 for Kosovo. I am advised that at this time the Defence Forces retain the capacity to undertake the tasks laid down by Government at home and overseas.

The Defence Forces have improved in every respect since 2000 through the implementation of the White Paper. This represents a significant public service success story. However, the economic reality is such that the defence organisation must contribute to the correction of the public finances. I intend, with the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, to retain the capacity of the organisation to operate effectively across all roles. Planned expenditure levels for my Department will be considered as part of the Estimates and budgetary process for 2010. That will include consideration of the McCarthy report and the decisions on all of the issues arising will be a matter for the Government.

See this speech in context