Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Defence the current strength of each of the Defence Forces; if any reports have been prepared on potential retirement in each force between now and February 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25203/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the military authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 31 August 2011, the latest date for which figures are available, was 9,513 comprising 7,722 Army, 786 Air Corps and 1,005 Naval Service personnel.

The approved employment control framework for the Permanent Defence Force is based on a figure of 10,000 all ranks, appropriately configured across the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps. In 2011, the defence organisation, like all areas of the public service, is operating on a reduced budget. The programme for Government also sets out a target for further fiscal consolidation over the period to 2015.

Overall numbers in the Permanent Defence Force, including numbers serving at various ranks, will be subject to ongoing control and monthly monitoring. This is to ensure compliance within the overall parameters and controls set by Government for each sector. The employment control framework, ECF, also sets out that it will be necessary to underpin the re-organisation with the required amendments to regulations and administrative instructions. In this regard the strength ceiling set out in the ECF has been incorporated into a revised Defence Force regulation, CS4. The military authorities are finalising a re-organisation based on this revised regulation.

It is not possible to estimate the number of members of the Permanent Defence Force who may seek to retire between now and the end of February 2012. The matter is being kept under review to ensure the impact on public services of any retirements is minimised.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I beg the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's indulgence to refer to another defence issue. I commend the Minister on the manner in which he swiftly acted and commissioned a report into the deaths of the Army personnel, Corporal Fintan Heneghan, Private Mannix Armstrong and Private Thomas Walsh. Information was provided to the Minister early in his term of office, and he commissioned a report and has brought a 22 year fight for justice to an end. The Minister deserves great credit for the manner in which he handled that. It is a shame it took so long. I understand there may be issues within the report that must be considered for future deployment, and at some appropriate time subject to the agreement of the Whips, there might be an opportunity to make statements on it in the House. I commend the Minister.

On this CS4 regulation, surely it is difficult to finalise the re-organisation of the Defence Forces without having any knowledge of what the numbers will be in February next. In the manner in which the Garda Commissioner has gone about preparing some work that we discussed yesterday, is there not a structure within the Defence Forces that can identify what the overall position of those 9,500 personnel will be in February next?

There are rumours in Clonmel, Mullingar and Cavan this week and there are rumours circulating within the Army community that their barracks are to be closed. The Mullingar issue is to be the subject of a topical issue debate following these questions, but is there some sort of plan, similar to what is going on in the Garda, to anticipate what the reduction will be and what the services will be on 1 March next year?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Calleary for his comments on the comprehensive report, published by the Department and prepared by Mr. Frank Callinan SC, into the tragic deaths in 1989 of the three soldiers mentioned. I certainly agree that it is appropriate that we would debate that report at some point in this House, and the Whips can make the appropriate arrangements. I hope the comprehensive inquiry conducted by Mr. Callinan SC, the terms of reference that we gave him and his conclusions on those terms of reference bring, in so far as this can ever occur, some sense of closure to the families who for a long time were seeking to ascertain the full background to the tragic deaths of their loved ones. I spent some time with the families on the morning before the report was published and I am personally aware of the grief still caused to them by that incident.

On the question Deputy Calleary raised, there is an ongoing review with the Defence establishment of how to make the maximum use of the resources available. I have had discussions with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán McCann, in this regard. There are operational issues that fall within his remit and on which there are decisions to be made by him. For my part, I am anxious we maintain the strength of the Defence Forces at or around 9,500. I hope I can achieve that in the context of the internal discussions within Government on financial allocations for next year. As indicated in the response to the question, the approved employment control framework for the Permanent Defence Force is based on a figure of 10,000, but the resources, as we have them this year, create a difficulty in that regard, although I hope there will be some possibility for some recruitment this year. I am anxious to maintain the age profile within the Defence Forces and it is important that new personnel are introduced into the force each year. It is not yet clear what retirements will occur either by the end of this year or by the end of February, and I do not want to give the House figures that may be misleading. I do not have accurate figures in that regard at present.

There is a continuing assessment being undertaken on the manner in which the Defence Forces are structurally configured in the context of the existing barracks. No final decisions have been made in that regard. That issue in the case of Mullingar is raised today, as Deputy Calleary mentioned, on the topical issues debate and will be addressed. No final decisions have been made yet on any particular barracks by Government but we must look at how we maximise the use of the resources. As Minister for Defence, my objective in maximising the use of resource is to ensure we have what I believe to be the number of members of the Defence Forces required to facilitate them meeting all their obligations, both to the civil power and internationally. I am anxious to ensure the preservation of buildings does not create an expense that could be better utilised to maintain members of the force, and that balance will have to be struck.