Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot confirm that. The Chief of Staff is compiling a report for the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, on that. I can say that the Naval Service, which has about 1,000 personnel, is at about 92% strength at the moment. The Chief of Staff will prepare a report on that for the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe.

The Government is a strong supporter of our Defence Forces. We value the role that they play, whether it is in peacekeeping overseas, acting on behalf of the State during emergencies at home, for example, natural disasters that happened last year, or providing aid to the civil power and support for the Garda when needed. We are now investing again in our Defence Forces. In contrast to what the Deputy has said, the budget for our Defence Forces increased by €25 million this year and we have a major investment programme under way in upgrading our Defence Forces after years of neglect. There is €250 million for new vessels, for example, €55 million for new armoured personnel carriers, €32 million for new aircraft, and €11 million for new armoured utilities as well as upgrades at the Curragh, Cathal Brugha, Athlone and many other barracks. We are now once again investing in our Defence Forces after years of neglect and cutbacks that happened for reasons the Deputy will understand.

PDFORRA has its conference today and the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, will attend. We as a Government will continue to engage with PDFORRA and RACO on the issues that now arise. We have a pay agreement with all public servants. That applies for three years. We are only in the first year of it. It provides for pay restoration for all public servants earning less than €40,000 by the end of this year and all public servants earning less than €70,000 by the end of 2020. For the Defence Forces, it is about a 7% pay increase as well as reversal of the 5% cuts to their allowances, which the Deputy will recall.

There is a high turnover rate. That is correct. There is about an 8% turnover rate in the Defence Forces every year and a 92% retention rate. That is not uncommon in defence forces. Being in the Defence Forces tends to be a job for younger men and women. It tends not to be a job for life. If people are not moving up the ranks, they will generally move on, often to better opportunities in the private sector, taking with them the skills they have built up. They also get early pensions in their 40s and 50s, which are set up to enable people to move on to new careers. A turnover rate of around 8% is not uncommon.

However, there has been an increase in departures in recent years. We acknowledge that as a Government. It is a change in recent years and there are particular issues around losing Defence Forces personnel with particular expertise that is now very valuable in the private sector. That was not the case during the recession but it certainly is now as we enter a period of full and high employment. The Deputy is right that there is a shortage when it comes to experts, pilots and engineers. More generally, there is an issue across the Defence Forces when it comes to 24 hour duty, for example. We have a mechanism by which we can examine that and resolve it, which is through the Public Sector Pay Commission. The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have made a submission to it, as have the representative organisations, PDFORRA and RACO. We will work through that with them and will have an evidence-based report from the Public Sector Pay Commission which will allow us to act and to make improvements in terms and conditions over and above those agreed.

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