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

That is a very good question. I am advised by the military authorities that there is an ongoing programme of HR development within the Defence Forces, part of which is aimed at ensuring that, where at all possible, there is an appropriate work-life balance for its members. The Defence Forces have piloted new work-life balance initiatives, including reviewing how career courses are conducted to make them more accessible to those with family commitments and facilitating job sharing for overseas deployments. In this regard, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, a number of family-friendly overseas appointments for commissioned and enlisted personnel were introduced whereby the normal six-month tour of duty could be shared with another member of the Defence Forces, resulting in a three-month deployment. There is scope, I understand, to re-introduce these arrangements once all remaining restrictions pertaining to overseas deployments are lifted.

The Defence Forces have also placed a renewed focus on members whose spouse or partner is also in the organisation, with a view to ascertaining how they can be assisted when their spouse or partner is deployed away from home. This includes 24-hour duties while partners or spouses are deployed overseas, or for two years for a mother after the birth of a child. A range of harmony measures have also been implemented, including hot-desking for certain enlisted and commissioned personnel who have been posted away from their home address, and remote working is considered for a limited number of personnel depending on the circumstances.

The Defence Forces are also able to facilitate the periodic working from home of some personnel. However, given the fundamental and specific nature of military service, there is limited capacity in this regard, as many Defence Forces appointments are not suitable to this practice. Working from home is utilised for specific appointments for which it is suited and having regard to the requirement to develop and maintain an appropriate level of military capability.

In line with the introduction of the Blended Working Policy Framework for Civil Service Organisations earlier this year and the commitments made in the programme for Government relating to remote working across the public sector, I confirm that the defence organisation is examining these policies and commitments in the context of the unique nature of military service.

There is a lot going on but a lot more is coming in this space. On the back of recommendations from the commission, we are about to introduce a new position of head of transformation, which will be a senior appointment within the Defence Forces, that will report directly to the Chief of Staff. This position will be filled by a civilian who will focus on the management of people and quality of life issues, work-life balance, flexibility and so on.

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