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

In truth, to provide the number of houses required to make a significant impact on recruitment and retention would need a huge capital investment programme. That is not the direction of policy we have taken in recent years. I am not ruling anything out, but I refer to the idea that providing housing for personnel, to keep them in the Defence Forces, will be a mainstay of our recruitment and retention strategy in the coming years. It may have some niche roles to play within certain elements of the Defence Forces, but it is unlikely to be a mainstay. Pay and conditions as well as supports, such as medical facilities and provision, are likely to have a much greater impact. Let us look at the historic turnover to put things into context. Turnover was 8.26% in 2018; 10.01% in December 2019; 7.4% in December 2020; 8% in 2021; and 10%. Turnover is between 7% and 10%.

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