Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The ongoing difficulty in the retention of skilled Defence Forces personnel has been well documented. Despite an establishment figure of 9,500, figures released to me by the Minister of State's Department last week show fewer than 9,100 in the Permanent Defence Force currently. We have a budget for 9,500. We never seem to get there and I do not envisage us getting there any time soon.

The Minister of State may have read last week a newspaper article by retired Brigadier General Ger Aherne, who commanded the Fourth Western Brigade of the Defence Forces. It is a very trenchant critique and raises many salient points. Let me quote one of them for the Minister of State:

You cannot induct qualified military skill sets off the street. The unique nature of military service requires non-standard terms of service, from fitness and medical benchmarks to remuneration and supporting conditions of service. Failure to factor in these unique demands, and the timelines required to develop these competencies, inevitably results in manning gaps. The Defence Forces will thus not have the requisite capacity to fulfil the designed range of capabilities required by the State.

That is a strong criticism. When does the Minister of State think we will reach the 9,500 personnel mark, which I consider to be too low a ceiling in any event?

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