Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 33: To ask the Minister for Defence when he will reverse his decision on the moratorium on promotions within the Reserve Defence Force, RDF, following his recent decision to exclude it from the recruitment moratorium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24811/09]

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of personnel expected to be recruited up to the end of 2009 in regard to his recent statement announcing the resumption of limited and monitored recruitment to replace existing members of the Army Reserve or Naval Service Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24684/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 51 together.

In the context of the Government decision on the implementation of savings measures on public service numbers and the reduced budgetary provision available for 2009, all recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force, RDF, was suspended. Following a subsequent review and examination of RDF personnel numbers and budgets for 2009, I was satisfied there was sufficient provision to allow for paid training for existing members of the reserve this year.

Accordingly, on 19 May I announced that limited recruitment to fill vacancies arising due to existing reserve members resigning or being discharged this year in the normal manner could proceed. The numbers recruited will depend on the numbers leaving. This limited recruitment will be monitored and kept under review in light of the uptake of paid training within the RDF and the future budgetary provision. Therefore, I am not in a position to specify the exact number to be recruited this year. The resources available for paid training, taking account of the recruitment that is under way, are being closely monitored. The situation with regard to promotion in the reserve will be also reviewed in this context in the period ahead.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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We have touched on this matter in our previous supplementary questions to the Minister. It is important that he would make some progress on the RDF's promotional structure and on rewarding its volunteers.

Reverting to Deputy Stanton's comments, there is a feeling that, due to the attitude taken towards the RDF in recent years, it is undervalued and that its role has been trivialised. This is the feedback I am getting from people within the RDF. Like them, I am committed to the concept. Across the world, reserve defence forces play a critical role in overseas missions. I refer to the forces of America, England and elsewhere. Rather than diminishing the RDF's role, we should enhance, encourage and support it. The diminution of its role or giving the impression, albeit not publicly, that the RDF has no great role would be unfortunate.

Has the moratorium on recruitment and promotions affected the future prospects of RDF personnel serving abroad?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with Deputy Deenihan regarding the promotional structure, which is under consideration. Any perception that the reserve is being undervalued is mistaken. An entire section of the White Paper addressed the reserve and made various recommendations. For example, the recommended re-organisation has been undertaken. The White Paper recommended better uniforms, training, systems of gratuities and so on. All of these have been followed. The White Paper was ambitious in some respects. As I have told Deputy Stanton, integration has not occurred to the extent preferred. However, a follow-on White Paper on defence next year will deal with this issue.

I have the highest regard for the reserve. When the moratorium was introduced, the Department of Finance took the view that it should apply to everyone, including the reserve. I managed to overturn that decision, one of the first breaches of the moratorium. I did this to indicate the high regard in which I held the reserve and the fact that I did not want to see its numbers further depleted.

Deputy Deenihan asked a question on serving abroad. Since members of the RDF are not entitled to serve overseas statutorily, we are hoping to recruit into the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, on a temporary basis members of the RDF who had signed up to go abroad. Obviously, this idea is affected by the moratorium. As I have made certain recommendations to the Minister for Finance regarding the moratorium, let us see what occurs.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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We have six minutes remaining, but I am anxious to facilitate everyone who wants to speak.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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I appreciate that. We should compliment the Minister on overturning the moratorium in respect of the RDF. Obviously, he does not have exact figures, but could he give the Dáil a ballpark estimate of the number of RDF places that might become available for recruitment in the course of the year? I understand that quite a number of people were well down the road of the recruitment process, which is long and drawn out, when the moratorium was introduced. Would it not be fair and equitable that those people be given priority for whatever places might become available during the year?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the latter point. Criteria have been drawn up by the director of the reserve and the questions of where people came in on the chain, whether they have had medicals done and when they applied will be important. I understand it will be done in chronological order.

I do not want to get specific about numbers. How many we will take on depends on how many drop out or join the non-effective list. We started the year with 7,575 members, give or take one or two. This year, my policy is to ensure numbers do not fall below that figure. To the extent that people leave and that figure is reduced, they can and will be replaced.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister has told us that there are 300 members in the integrated reserve, which he admits is disappointing because it was expected that there would be more. He admitted that he has learned lessons. He might share some of those lessons with the House at some stage. Why is some use not being made of the 300 even in barrack duties or in some way to act as a backup to the Permanent Defence Force, PDF? I assume that they are trained to a high level, on a par with the Permanent Defence Force. Why are they left there and not used in any meaningful way?

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I will have to speak to the chief of staff about that. I understand that the Army command is considering ways in which it can make some use of the integrated reserve. I do not know why that has not happened to date. I will revert to the Deputy when I have spoken to the chief of staff about it. I think that perhaps the Army command was a little underwhelmed by the number of people it managed to recruit. More than 300 individuals have now been trained to a high degree, as Deputy Stanton indicated. We will speak to the chief of staff and get back to the Deputy on the matter.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister aware that a number of individuals who are anxious to get into the reserve force here are going north to join the reserve force of another country? They find there is easier access and that the security clearance is much easier. The point was made that the moratorium did not apply to the Garda Reserve force because it is a voluntary, non-remunerated position. It appears the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform indicated that there would not be a halt to recruitment of members to the Garda Reserve. This seems to indicate a contradiction in Government policy between recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force and the Garda Reserve.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I am not an expert on how the Garda Reserve works but we have to be in a position whereby the money we are allocated each year for paid training days is sufficient to accommodate the number of people we have on the books. That is our duty. It would be irresponsible of me to say that we can recruit 1,000 or 2,000 people more than those for whom we can provide a reasonable number of paid training days. The Reserve Defence Force must undertake an essential minimum level of training. That is the position. The original ruling that we got from the Department of Finance was that the moratorium applied across the board. I managed to get that lifted. Let us see what happens with my submission on the Permanent Defence Forces. We will take it from there.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he agree that the fact that no use is being made of the reservists who are integrated and highly trained could act as a deterrent to people applying for the reserve or for integration? Does the Minister agree that those people are committed, dedicated and anxious to serve in some way? If no use is made of them, and they are just allowed to sit around, that could be a reason the Minister has a problem with applications in the first place. I emphasise the need to use those people and not to have the resources that went into their training go to waste.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the House that the Army has every intention of making the fullest possible use of the people who have been trained as members of the integrated reserve. I will speak to the chief of staff about when that will happen and over what timescale and I will revert to the Deputy.