Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have previously outlined in the House, a claim from the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, in respect of this matter is being dealt with under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. As discussions under the scheme are confidential to the parties involved, it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail at this time, other than to emphasise that in dealing with this issue the manpower and operational needs of the Defence Forces must be the primary consideration.

As military life places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals, it is necessary that members of the Defence Forces be physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations and undertake their duties on deployment overseas . It is vital that the age and health profile of personnel be such as to ensure that operational capability and effectiveness are not compromised. As such, to maintain the age profile of the Permanent Defence Force to carry out the operational tasks required by government, it is necessary to have a constant input of new recruits into the Permanent Defence Force. The maximum age for personnel who have enlisted in the Permanent Defence Force post-1 January 1994 provides the mechanism through which a satisfactory age profile can be achieved.

I understand the concerns this issue raises for the personnel due to be discharged in terms of their personal circumstances and the impact on their families. I assure the Deputy that in examining this issue all pertinent facts have been considered. However, while significant progress was made in discussions between PDFORRA and civil and military management, it was not possible to reach full agreement. As a result, the issue is being referred to third party adjudication for a ruling. It is expected that the adjudication hearing will take place in the next few weeks following the exchange of submissions between the parties.

In the meantime, work is continuing on measures to support those exiting the Permanent Defence Force. A number of military courses are already accredited with various third level institutions and a comprehensive training course to aid transition to civilian life for the personnel in question is being piloted.

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