Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Defence the impact the moratorium on recruitment to the public service is having on the Reserve Defence Force; if he expects the numbers in the RDF to decline in 2009 and 2010; the discussions he is having with the Reserve Defence Force's representative association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17720/09]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Defence his plans for the future of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17794/09]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Defence the reason he is not proceeding with plans to allow members of the Reserve Defence Force to serve overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17773/09]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Defence if he is considering proposals for the disbandment of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17782/09]

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Defence if there will be recruitment into the Reserve Defence Force during 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17467/09]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will confirm that the Reserve Defence Force is working effectively and efficiently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17788/09]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will confirm that the phased enhancement of Reserve Defence Force capabilities provided for in the Reserve Defence Force Review Implementation Plan will be completed. [17789/09]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Defence if there will be recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17525/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 69, 83, 84, 89, 97, 99 and 104 together.

The Reserve Defence Force review implementation plan provides for the phased enhancement of the Reserve over the period from 2004 to the end of 2009. Significant progress has been made to date in implementing the plan. The Reserve has been re-organised along similar lines to the Permanent Defence Force. There has been increased investment in the Reserve with new equipment and clothing and opportunities for improved training. Pilot schemes for the introduction of the integrated Reserve were conducted in 2007 and 2008 and plans to send members of the Reserve overseas by the end of 2009 were at an advanced stage.

As the Deputies will be aware, the Government has introduced a moratorium on recruitment to the public service with effect from 27 March 2009. As with the public service generally, the defence organisation is required to operate with reduced funding for 2009. In this context, all recruitment to the Reserve has been suspended for the present.

The moratorium and reduced budgetary provision have also prevented the recruitment of members of the Reserve to the Permanent Defence Force for the purpose of overseas service and this project has been postponed for the foreseeable future. This is a disappointing development for those members of the Reserve who had volunteered as candidates for overseas service and I would like to thank them for the dedication and interest they have shown.

It is not possible at this time to predict the impact that the suspension of recruitment will have on the Reserve. The trend over recent years has shown a decline in applications for membership of the Reserve but the changed economic environment could halt this trend. This situation will be closely monitored.

It is clear we are facing challenging times and the reduction in funding for 2009 has impacted on the Reserve as it has the broader defence organisation. However, there are no plans to disband the Reserve Defence Force and I am not considering any proposals in this regard. While the budgetary provision for the training of members of the Reserve has been reduced, it will be sufficient to allow all current members of the Reserve to undertake paid training this year.

Discussions are ongoing with the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association on a range of issues relating to the Reserve.

As the Reserve Defence Force review implementation plan is reaching its conclusion, options for the future development of the Reserve will be considered. This will be informed by the lessons learned from the implementation process. In addition, the Reserve Defence Force has been selected for review as part of the 2009–11 phase of the Government's value for money and policy review initiative. This review will include an examination of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Reserve. It is anticipated that this review, together with the general budgetary situation, will also assist in informing decisions regarding the future of the Reserve.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister tell the House the numbers currently in the Reserve Defence Force, the establishment number as projected in the White Paper and the reason for the difference? Also, will he outline the efforts he is making to recruit to the first line Reserve? Major emphasis was put on the first line Reserve, which would involve recruiting people formerly in the Permanent Defence Force. Those people would be better equipped to serve overseas, for example. Also, has the idea of the integrated Reserve been scrapped? What is happening as regards the first line Reserve and the integrated Reserve? Has anything happened in regard to both of those proposals?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Regarding Deputy Deenihan's first question, the numbers in the Reserve on 31 March last were 7,513 personnel - 5,761 male and 1,752 female.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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What is the establishment figure?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I will communicate that to the Deputy. I do not have it to hand.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I understand it is approximately 12,000.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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It is something in that order, yes. We will communicate the figure to the Deputy.

We are awaiting recommendations from the military authorities on how best to deal with the first line Reserve. Those recommendations have not come to hand as yet.

Regarding the integrated Reserve and the initial results in terms of getting a particular group of the Reserve to integrate to allow them step in with the PDF in the event of a contingency, the pilot phase has been disappointing in terms of the numbers it has yielded but nevertheless it has resulted in approximately 300 people being trained to integrate in the circumstances outlined in the White Paper. We have learned lessons from the pilot project, however, and are examining the type of training and systems being put in place to advance the integrated Reserve experiment. As soon as the position has been reviewed we will return to the integrated Reserve issue.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Regarding the members of the Reserve Defence Force who were scheduled to engage in action with the Permanent Defence Force later this year, that plan has been abandoned.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Overseas?

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Overseas, yes. Is there any possibility that decision can be reviewed? Does the Minister intend communicating with the Minister for Finance on that issue or is the only reason it was abandoned financial?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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It was abandoned because the relevant legislation provides that overseas service is confined to members of the Permanent Defence Force. The Reserve Defence Force members are not members of the Permanent Defence Force but it was hoped to temporarily integrate members of the Reserve in the Permanent Defence Force. I refer to the members of the Reserve who had done the integrated training and expressed an interest in going overseas. Unfortunately, the recruitment ban of 27 March has prevented us from recruiting people into the Permanent Defence Force and therefore we cannot send the Reserve Defence Force members overseas.

There are two obvious ways around this. The first is to change the legislation which is a rather tortuous process because there is much legislation backed up already. We will be changing the legislation in due course, but as a general amendment to defence legislation which will incorporate a number of other matters as well.

The other way would be to get an exemption from the Department of Finance, as the Deputy suggested. As I stated, we are looking at various issues related to how the embargo impacts on the Defence Forces, both permanent and reserve. When we have worked our way through those matters, I hope to speak to the Minister for Finance and to discuss the question of exemptions with him. However, I must tell the House that when I am discussing exemptions with the Minister for Finance my focus will be on the availability of the Defence Forces to do their job, as Deputy Deenihan stated, both at home and abroad.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I want to include a number of Deputies.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Does the number of 7,500 the Minister for Defence mentioned include the active and inactive list and will he give a breakdown of the active and inactive list of members and the ranks in each case?

What is the role of the reserve and what has it been doing to fulfil this role in the past number of years? Does the Minister agree that one of the functions of the reserve has been to give an outlet to young men, in particular, and now young women, who have had an interest in military affairs for a number of years and that it has proven effective in that regard? It will now be abandoned because of the embargo?

What are his views on the danger of the reserve going into decline because it is an organisation that depends on continual membership and, with rolling membership and numbers in decline, it might become ineffective? How many members of the reserve will resign or retire by the end of the year?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has asked many questions.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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It is Question Time.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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On active and inactive members, it is impossible to give a precise answer to that.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The list exists.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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All I can say is that the reserve has been vigilant in recent years in removing inactive persons from the roll. Last year 4,321 reservists utilised 81,000 man-days in terms of paid training. The total number on the books is 7,500. I am convinced that the majority of those would be fairly active.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The list is available. Can the Minister get those numbers for us because they are available?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Please allow the Minister.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As near as I can, I will get the figures for Deputy Stanton.

On the Deputy's other point, I agree that the reserve is a useful outlet for persons who are interested in matters military. I do not know how many will resign between now and the end of the year. The trend in recent years has been that the numbers joining the reserve have been falling off, but in the changed economic environment it may well be different.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I want to get in a supplementary for your colleague.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The reasons for consistently recruiting have not disappeared. The embargo has interrupted those for the good reason that we must bring the public finances back into control.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am always anxious to support the Minister and to ask him questions. The Minister will have noted I tabled a question about Chad because I wanted to tell him that my constituents in Tallaght, who met him in Chad, were very impressed.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A brief supplementary, please.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I would not be as used to it as the rest of them.

On the Reserve Defence Forces, I will not repeat what has been stated already, but I want to bring a different perspective to it. The Minister will be aware that Deputy Noel O'Flynn tabled this question but it is an issue in Tallaght as well.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A question, please.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I had three young people at my clinic on Saturday week last wanting to know why they are being cut off. They were recruited, they believed they completed their induction, they were very anxious to serve and suddenly they have been told they will not be needed. Surely such exemptions could be allowed.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister accept that the Reserve Defence Force is a cost-effective organisation for the relatively small amount of money involved - approximately €10 million apart from the PDF associated costs - and that in it we have a substantial body of men and women relatively cheaply by way of support for the civil powers? I ask him to confirm that the phased enhancement of the force's capabilities, which was provided for in the Reserve Defence Force review implementation plan, will be completed. In a general sense, from the point of view of reassuring the members of the reserve, can the Minister confirm that the reserve will continue to have an important role in this country?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that. That is my intention. There is no intention to disband the reserve.

On the specific problem Deputy O'Connor mentioned, I already indicated to the House in reply to earlier questions that it is a matter I will take up. I have been discussing it with my officials and I will take it up with the Department of Finance to see whether we can get around that issue. The Department has only so much money for so many paid man-days this year. It might be possible within that arrangement to resolve the problem mentioned by Deputy O'Connor.