Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I take note of the Minister of State's reply and also commend the Defence Forces for carrying out the climate survey. It is very disconcerting to note, however, that more than 10% of commissioned officers and 25% of enlisted personnel have left the Defence Forces since the 2013 reorganisation. There are significant gaps in capability, expertise and unit manning levels. There are no conclusions or recommendations made in the report as to how the Department of Defence can deal with this issue. Another key question relates to the initiatives that can be taken to mitigate the extent of voluntary exits. It is well known that retention initiatives are deliverable at a fraction of the cost of constant recruitment and training.

I have a specific question about the 38 vacancies in the middle and lower ranks of the Naval Service. The non-filling of these vacancies is preventing ships from going to sea and negatively impacting on the welfare, productivity and operational capacity of the Naval Service.

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