Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reality is that the recruitment initiative which the Taoiseach lauded to tackle the numbers crisis in the Defence Forces has attracted nearly no interest. The response to a parliamentary question on the subject which I received from the Minister of State in the last week contained a single digit figure. Is the scheme actually being advertised? Who makes the decision on recruitment? Is it in line with public sector recruitment practices? I understand that directly after the GOC of the Air Corps had briefed his staff on the Minister of State's intention to recommission two former pilots, two serving officers submitted requests to resign, citing the new policy as their reason for doing so. In fact, the Minister of State's policy has had a negative effect and is, in many instances, driving serving officers out of position. The net effect of the scheme is that an already restless group of employees is livid and speeding up plans for early retirement as a consequence of a failure to introduce a proper retention initiative such as a career incentive scheme. Instead, the Minister of State is diverting attention, receiving no interest in the scheme and creating a further wedge in dealing with the numbers crisis.

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