Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The monetary savings have been delivered through the reduction in personnel strength and are reflected in the 2012 budget. The provision for the Permanent Defence Force's pay in the Vote 36 Estimates in 2011 was just over €442 million. The corresponding provision for 2012 is €425 million. The re-organisation will absorb the reduction in numbers and improve operational effectiveness. The reduction in the number of brigades from three to two will free up military personnel from administrative and support functions.

The reality is, at a time when we had 11,500 personnel in the Defence Forces, a three brigade structure made sense. At a time when we have 9,500 personnel in the Defence Forces, a two brigade structure makes sense. What this is about is ensuring the operational effectiveness of the Defence Forces and that they are deployed in a manner that is in the public interest and maximises their effectiveness, both in assisting the civil power in their duties in this State and in facilitating their undertaking of international duties.

What is also of particular importance at a time when we have reduced numbers in the Defence Forces is that we have a reasonable proportion between enlisted personnel and officers and that we do not have disproportionate numbers among the higher ranks compared with enlisted personnel. This re-organisation and the decisions made by this Government have had the effect of facilitating a recruitment campaign to the Defence Forces for an additional 600 personnel this year and they have provided for more effective Defence Forces.

The Deputy might be interested to know the Government announced two decisions in December. First, personnel numbers during the course of this year would be brought up and maintained at 9,500. Second, we would move from a three brigade to a two brigade structure. Those particular decisions guaranteed we would have proper numbers within the Defence Forces in order that they could effectively undertake their functions. I am quite pleased to inform the House that we were, unfortunately, heading down a route where, as a result of the manner in which the Defence Forces were being funded and dealt with when Fianna Fáil was in government, there was a risk that numbers within the Defence Forces could have fallen below 8,000.

See this speech in context