Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope I will be able to answer some of the questions that have been raised, even those that are not directly relevant to the legislation but this is an opportunity to address some Defence Forces issues.

I thank all Members of the House who spoke for their constructive contributions and comments during the course of the debate. I am pleased to have an opportunity to bring the Bill before the House. As I stated in my opening remarks, although it is a relatively short Bill, it addresses some important issues. Before commenting on the Bill itself, I will comment on a number of other issues.

I recognise the continued and ongoing contribution of the Defence Forces in the Covid-19 emergency, which has been referred to by some speakers. As always, members of the Defence Forces have stood up to the plate at a time of national crisis. There has been a sustained and dedicated response to the challenges we have faced in each of the services, land, air and sea, supported by the Department of Defence and other arms of the State.

The Air Corps has been active in repatriating our personnel in association with our partners in specific missions, along with the transport of Covid-19 tests to Germany. I would also like to recognise the emergency deployment of PPE, personal protective equipment, by the Air Corps to Beirut following the explosion and humanitarian disaster there.

This shows the effectiveness of the cross-Government response to such crises where a targeted and rapid response is required. It also shows how the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence are linked by a policy perspective and I am given the privilege of providing leadership in both Departments. It allows for rapid responses to catastrophes, such as the one in Beirut. In that instance, we were able to use our intelligence from our peacekeepers in UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, with the diplomatic network of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in providing humanitarian assistance.

The Naval Service has played its part in support of Covid-19 testing with the deployment of vessels in support of testing facilities. The Army has played a substantive role in setting up Covid-19 test centres, supporting the HSE through the storage and distribution of PPE, as well as support for its testing facilities. It has also assisted in the fit-out of other HSE facilities, patient transport and the ongoing operation of the Aviva Stadium testing facility. The Defence Forces are available to the HSE if needed for whatever reason. It is about being the last resource of the State which can be used in cases of emergency.

On re-enlistment, the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 allowed for the acceleration of the enactment of section 4 of this Bill. As I said in my opening statement, I will be moving an amendment on Committee Stage to delete section 4. However, I will take this opportunity to update the House regarding the scheme for the re-enlistment of formerly enlisted persons.

At present, the Permanent Defence Force has shortages of personnel in several specialised posts such as technicians, fitters, chefs, communications and IT specialists, as well as naval staff and avionics experts. In some cases, it can take up to four years to train individuals to the standard required to fill these positions. Last April, the former Minister of State with responsibility for defence, Deputy Kehoe, launched a scheme to re-enlist former Permanent Defence Force enlisted personnel who have the skills and expertise required to fill identified of vacancies which currently exist. The scheme will allow for initial re-enlistment for a minimum of six months and up to three years. The duration of the term of re-enlistment offered will be dependent on the vacancies which exist and the preference of the individual.

This is just one of many actions being pursued to address the skills shortages in the Permanent Defence Force. Those who re-enlist will do so at the rank and salary point on which they left. They will be required to meet a range of eligibility criteria as outlined in the terms and conditions which were agreed with the representative association, PDFORRA. The restriction of the scheme to suitably qualified and trained individuals, provides a fair and balanced approach which will allow existing members to continue to advance their careers through internal training, development and promotion. Personnel recommended and approved for re-enlistment also have to successfully meet medical and security clearance requirements.

While a total of 647 applications have been received since the launch of the scheme, unfortunately, many of these proved ineligible due to age and other criteria. Some Members have suggested that there has been no interest in the re-enlistment scheme. This is simply not the case. The Chief of Staff must recommend individual personnel for re-enlistment. So far, I have approved the re-enlistment of 24 personnel on foot of recommendations by the Chief of Staff. I am advised that further recommendations for my consideration are imminent. Attestations for a first batch of ten re-enlisting personnel took place on 15 September, with attestations for a second group planned for later this month and further re-enlistments planned for later this year.

A scheme to recommission former Permanent Defence Force officers already exists. Expressions of interest are also invited from those with specialist skills who wish to be recommissioned. Some 38 applications have been received under this scheme and 16 went forward for further assessment with corps directors. Since the launch of this scheme last October, five officers have been recommissioned into the Air Corps and a further batch of former officers has now been submitted by the Chief of Staff for my consideration.

On the proposed amendment to section 17A of the Defence Act 1954, the Office of the Attorney General has provided extensive advice as to what was required from a legal perspective to address the issue. This advice is reflected in the text. As I stated in my opening statement, this amendment will not alter the current command structure in the Defence Forces. The delegation in no way undermines overall control of the contingent by the Irish authorities. It provides a clear statutory basis and legal certainty for the current delegation of operational control in overseas missions. It reinforces what already happens in practice but puts a legal basis under that, as advised by the Attorney General. There was significant consultation across the Defence Forces on this issue before the arrangements were finalised.

With regard to sections 3 and 7, I am particularly pleased that this Bill will give full effect to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

I am also happy to progress the technical amendments to the Defence Act 1954 provided for in sections 5 and 6.

On apprenticeships, I can confirm that there continue to be apprentice opportunities in the Permanent Defence Force, principally in the Air Corps as apprentice aircraft technicians. This programme offers successful candidates the opportunity of becoming an effective member of the Air Corps, as well as the opportunity to pursue the career for which he or she is selected. The age limit for enlistment as an apprentice is between 18 and 23 years, which has been the case for some time. It should be noted that on recruitment, an apprentice becomes a member of the Defence Forces, subject to military law and liable for military duties. As such, in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, any such person cannot be a minor and, therefore, must be at least 18 years of age.

The Defence Forces recruitment process is subject to continuous monitoring and appraisal to ensure that it remains fit for purpose. Recruitment plans for 2021 have not yet been finalised but will be informed by a review of recent campaigns.

Deputy Berry, as a former member of the Defence Forces, had much to say on the Bill. On his comments on the Reserve Defence Force, this is an issue on which I intend to focus. Whether we will be able to achieve some of the measures he called for, I am not sure. I certainly want them to be considered seriously. If they can be introduced in time for amendments on later Stages, I am open to that. If not, there may be other ways of doing it.

I am open to members of the Reserve Defence Force being able to serve overseas. There may be some concerns about this among some members of the Permanent Defence Force. It is an issue I would like to explore with them. If we are to make the Reserve Defence Force attractive, particularly to skilled people who can add significantly in terms of a collective approach working with Permanent Defence Force personnel, we must offer the opportunities to serve and to put such skills to use.

If we are serious about a singular approach towards Permanent Defence Force personnel working with Reserve personnel, we must have a process that allows them to operate efficiently together. It is not about taking away opportunities from Permanent Defence Force personnel; it is about complementary work. In specialised skill sets - IT, cybersecurity and a number of other areas - there is a really interesting opportunity to explore and develop with the Reserve Defence Force. I hope the commission will be able to look at that, and I will talk a little about the commission in a moment. We will look at this but I would like to speak to the representative bodies about it to ensure we are all pulling in the same direction on making the Reserve Defence Force a much more attractive option. Our Reserve is not at the strength at which we want it to be. To make it more attractive we need to think differently about its role and its importance, likewise ceremonial issues abroad and so on. There is no reason we should not think about and look at not only potential re-enlistment in the Reserve but also the transition Deputy Berry raised, whereby somebody finishing a career in the Permanent Defence Force may want to serve a role in the Reserve. That may suit the person's career choice or lifestyle.

As for some of the non-legislative issues, I am more than aware of the pressures the Naval Service is under, such as the shortage of certain specialties and the pressures that have resulted in a number of ships being tied up when they should be out to sea. We are working with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to try to agree a sensible package of proposals that can respond to that pressure in a way that is conscious of public sector pay deals and so on. I hope we will be able to bring that process to a conclusion in the not-too-distant future.

I hope the Department has responded to the issue of quarantine that was raised, from both an allowance and a tax perspective, to the satisfaction of the many people involved. I said very early on to the representative bodies that in my view this issue should have been solved long before now. If one is required to quarantine or self-isolate away from one's family, in a barracks somewhere, before one goes overseas, the mission effectively starts two weeks early and the allowances should reflect that, in my view. I pay particular tribute to the new Secretary General of the Department, who has been very involved in trying to get this issue resolved.

As for the issue of medical support, I would like to have a timeline for the House on that but I will just say we are committed to the programme for Government commitment. I was very involved in putting this issue into the programme for Government. It is not acceptable to me that there are different levels of medical support in the Defence Forces depending on whether one is an officer or administrative personnel. We want to make sure there is adequate and equal medical support for every member of the Irish Defence Forces. People who put their lives or health at risk serving the State should have consistent medical support across the Defence Forces as a whole. This cannot be resolved overnight, and I ask people to bear with me in finding a way of resolving it. It may be resolved over a phased basis but we are committed to doing it. It is in the programme for Government and we will try to get on with it.

In response to Deputy Berry's comments, I will make a point about the Curragh generally. I spent some time in the Curragh a few weeks ago with members of the Defence Forces, the Chief of Staff and his team, and my team in the Department of Defence. There is work to do. There is too much dereliction in the Curragh, which needs to be resolved, but again, it cannot be done overnight. We are committing to a very significant capital expenditure programme across the Department of Defence. Only two days ago I welcomed a €45 million investment in three new PC-12 aircraft into the Defence Forces. We are also planning for new ships in the future and investing in barracks in various parts of the country. However, I can understand the importance of investing in the Curragh, given its scale and size and link to morale within the Army. I am very cognisant of that and we will put together a plan in that regard. A plan has been already put together for elements of the investment that is needed in the Curragh, but I am committed to a more comprehensive plan than that.

There is a lot to do, but one of the things I am quite taken by in this Second Stage debate on defence is that the majority, though not all, of the people who have spoken have spoken about the Defence Forces as a career in a very negative light. If there is one thing I am committed to doing as Minister for Defence, it is changing that perception. A career in the Defence Forces is a good one for people to choose. We need to ensure we test salary structures, promotion opportunities and so on. That is why we are putting in place a commission to test all that and to benchmark internationally how we support our Defence Forces and how we can do it better. Serving one's country should be seen as a privilege. My job and the job of Government is to ensure that privilege is rewarded appropriately from the perspective of income, work conditions and legislation. We are trying to do some of that with this Bill.

Looking at what is coming down the line as we try to address some of the challenges that have been raised in this debate, the Department is, as we speak, talking to another key Department about trying to address the pressures in the Naval Service. We are planning to ensure the Defence Forces get appropriate representation and have a real and clear voice in the context of the upcoming round of pay talks. The Department is, as we speak, trying to finalise draft terms of reference and the appropriate people to be on a commission on the Defence Forces, consistent with the programme for Government, to get that commission up and running two months before we committed to doing so, by the end of the year. I hope we will be in a position by the end of October to do that early, which again gives a signal of the determination, commitment and enthusiasm within my team, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to get on with this commission work.

The Department is also, as we speak, assessing the pace of implementation of the defence White Paper, which has an awful lot in it that has not yet been delivered. Linked to that and to my other responsibilities in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, we are also talking about the kinds of peacekeeping missions we need to be preparing for next year, the year after and in three or four years' time, and how we continue to build Ireland's reputation internationally as a standard-setter in conflict management, post-conflict management, peacekeeping, peace enforcement and all the other things around which Ireland has built a reputation within UN circles, particularly in the context of Ireland taking its place on the UN Security Council in January.

There are a lot of positive things happening for and with the Defence Forces now, and so they should be happening, but we as a collective, as a Parliament, have to start talking up careers in the Defence Forces, rather than constantly looking for the negative, if we want people to join and be part of them. Of course I need to answer all questions, and there are negatives that need to be fixed, but there are also a lot of positives. If we want bright, skilled young men and women, women in particular, joining our Air Corps, our Army, our Naval Service and our Reserve, we have to start reflecting the fact that this is an attractive option.

I hope that much of what I have outlined tonight will reinforce in people's minds that we are trying to bring about the change and modernisation in the Defence Forces that will ensure those careers are exciting and well-rewarded and that they will be encouraged in a way that will allow us to respond to the gap we have in terms of shortages in our Defence Forces, which needs a response. I thank all Members and I look forward to the remaining Stages of this Bill, in which we will focus on the detail of the Bill.

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