Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his agreement yesterday to defer it to this afternoon.

I acknowledge his interest in the Defence Forces and his concern for the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who serve Ireland with distinction at home and overseas. I, as Minister of State, and the Government value each member of the Defence Forces and the roles they carry out, whether as peacekeepers or supporting the Garda Síochána and other State agencies in Ireland. For this reason, we have taken measures to improve the pay and conditions of serving members as well as addressing the challenges facing the Defence Forces.

Defence Forces pay is continuing to increase in line with public sector pay agreements. The increases are weighted in favour of those on lower pay. Members of the Defence Forces received increases in pay in 2017 under the Lansdowne Road Agreement. In a separate deal agreed with the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, the pay of general service recruits and privates who joined the Permanent Defence Forces after 1 January 2013 was increased further. The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 provides for further increases in pay ranging from 6.2% to 7.4% over the lifetime of the agreement. The increases under the agreement due from 1 January 2018 and 1 October 2018 have been applied to the annualised salaries of Permanent Defence Force personnel. Further increases under the agreement are scheduled for payment in 2019 and 2020. By the end of the current public service pay agreement the pay of all public servants, including members of the Defence Forces, earning under €70,000 per annum will be restored to the levels in place prior to the FEMPI legislation, as the Deputy will be aware. Defence Forces personnel who joined after January 2011 will also benefit from the recently announced amendments to the pay scales for new entrant public servants. The restoration of cuts to allowances will also be considered in the context of the public service pay agreement.

The average annual salary inclusive of military service allowance for a 3 star private, which is the starting rank for enlisted personnel, is currently €35,000 gross, while the average salary for an able seaman, which is the equivalent rank in the Naval Service, is €37,000 gross. Members of the Defence Forces also benefit from additional pay rates and allowances. These include technical pay which ranges from €420 to €7,000 extra each year depending on the job of the individual member. Approximately 47% of enlisted personnel are currently in receipt of technical pay. In the past two years, we have increased the opportunities for personnel to serve overseas. The average tax-free overseas payment received by general service personnel in 2017 was a little more than €8,000 and the average paid to officers was almost €10,300.

On retention, given the unique and demanding nature of military life, there is understandably a higher level of turnover among Defence Forces personnel than in other areas of the public service. This is not new. Recruitment and retention issues in respect of certain specialist grades in the Defence Forces were highlighted in the report of the Public Service Pay Commission in May 2017. The Government subsequently tasked the commission with examining these challenges. That work has commenced and a detailed joint civil and military submission has been forwarded to the commission.

A range of factors influence an individual’s decision to stay in the Defence Forces. Some progress has been made on non-pay initiatives, including more than 600 promotions to date in 2018 resulting in the promotion of one in 14 serving members. Members receive pay increases on promotion. For the first time in a decade, a potential officers course was commenced this year, giving 24 enlisted personnel a route to becoming commissioned officers. Additionally, four enlisted personnel were commissioned as officers earlier this year to fill vacancies in air traffic control.

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