Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I look forward to constructive engagement with the Deputy in the House which I hope will not always be conflictual.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the reorganisation of the Permanent Defence Force. As the Deputy knows, in December 2011 I announced a revised ceiling of 9,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force and a reorganisation of the Defence Forces, encompassing a move from a three brigade structure to a two brigade structure. The Cabinet agreed to stabilise the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 and recognised that a three brigade structure was no longer viable. This reorganisation is driven by the immediate realities of retaining operational effectiveness within a strength ceiling of 9,500 at a time when financial resources are limited.

I tasked the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General of my Department to bring forward proposals for the reorganisation for my consideration. I have accepted their recommendations and yesterday was pleased to announce the details of the reorganisation. I am satisfied that the reorganisation will ensure the Permanent Defence Force will retain the capacity to fulfil the roles assigned to the greatest possible extent within the strength ceiling of 9,500 and the significantly reduced resource envelope resulting from the fiscal difficulties of the State. This was confirmed in the report I had received from the Chief of Staff and the Secretary General.

I am continually surprised by the misinformation promulgated in recent weeks, up to this morning's publications in the newspapers, on the reorganisation. There are a number of issues which it is important to clarify. The reorganisation will not result in job losses. It will ensure the units within the Permanent Defence Force are configured appropriately and reflect attainable strength levels. As part of this process, the reorganisation entails the amalgamation of under-strength units into full strength units. Clearly, this does not equate to job losses. It ensures actual jobs are reflected in organisational structures. Continued reference to notional jobs associated with outdated and revoked strength levels is misleading and disingenuous. The reports in newspapers today that 500 jobs will be lost as a consequence of this reorganisation are entirely untrue.

Contrary to recent assertions, my decision to initiate a reorganisation was made following a detailed assessment of the defence and security environment and consideration of associated Defence Forces capability requirements. This was conducted both as part of the comprehensive review of expenditure and during the preparation of the Department of Defence and Defence Forces' strategy statement. Both documents have been published and are available for viewing.

As the Deputy mentioned, a Green Paper on Defence is being prepared. When published at the end of the year, it will inform a broad discussion about Ireland's defence policy. This will culminate in the publication of a new White Paper on Defence at the end of 2013. This White Paper will set out defence policy and encompass a longer timeframe than that of the strategy statement. It will inform long-term capability requirements for implementation over an extended timeframe, typically ten or more years. The reorganisation is driven by the immediate realities of maintaining required operational capabilities within a significantly reduced resource envelope as a consequence of the fiscal difficulties confronting the State.

As the Deputy asked me to say so, I repeat that there will be no further barrack closures as part of this reorganisation, nor will there be further barrack closures within the lifetime of the Government. It seems I have to say this repeatedly every six weeks or so inside and outside the House.

Having clarified these issues, it is important to highlight the positive impact the reorganisation will make in ensuring the continued delivery of Defence Forces operational capabilities and outputs, both at home and overseas. The reorganisation will ensure the Defence Forces remain fit for purpose and continue to deliver value for money. It is an excellent example of the public sector reform agenda in action, to which the Deputy referred. It proactively addresses the challenge of ensuring the continued delivery of operational capabilities and outputs within the current resource constraints.

The Defence Forces have a proud track record in implementing significant changes of this nature, while minimising the impact on personnel to the greatest possible extent. I am aware that, ultimately, it will be the men and women of the Defence Forces who will deliver this reform. The representative associations were informed yesterday about the reorganisation taking place. I look forward to their engagement on the undertaking of the reorganisation process.

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