Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 13 and 22 together.

We had that meeting yesterday. I met with the military command and senior officials in my Department in respect of recruitment and retention.

The question before me refers specifically to attracting females to enlist in the Defence Forces and to feel fully respected. In terms of recruitment strategies generally, as I have already highlighted my immediate focus is on stabilising the staffing situation in the Naval Service, and thereafter on bringing the strength of the Naval Service and the Defence Forces generally to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. Within this commitment, I wish to confirm that it is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels across the Defence Forces.

The high-level action plan agreed by the Government on the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces contains a range of recommendations designed to assist in increasing female participation in the Defence Forces. A number of these recommendations have been identified as early actions, including the appointment of a senior gender adviser at colonel level, options for female participation at general staff level, a review of fitness standards, and the development of gender, diversity and unconscious bias training. These are critical recommendations which will underpin the commitment to moving to a strong representation by women across the ranks.

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