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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I would have liked if this issue had been resolved by now. It has not but it will be shortly. I have outlined previously to the House that a claim has been received from PDFORRA on this matter and it is being dealt with under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. Discussions have been taking place with the representative association on its claim under a special sub-committee of the conciliation council. As discussions under the scheme are confidential to the parties involved, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the matter 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 concern as well, of course, as treating people fairly.

As military life places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals, it is necessary that Defence Forces members be physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations and to undertake their duties on deployment overseas. It is vital 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 recruits into the Permanent Defence Force. The maximum age for personnel who have enlisted in the Permanent Defence Force since 1 January 1994 provides the mechanism through which a satisfactory age profile can be achieved.

While significant progress was made on this issue in recent 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 planned that the adjudication hearing will take place on 30 January, following the exchange of submissions between the parties.

In the meantime, work is continuing on exit support measures to support those due to be discharged. A number of military courses and other skills courses are already accredited with various third level institutions and professional bodies. In addition, a comprehensive training course to aid transition to civilian life for these personnel, which involves a skills appraisal and review of a person’s service history and training already provided, is being piloted. I hope that by the time we have our next Question Time, this issue will have been resolved.

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