Dáil debates

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Other Questions

Defence Forces Recruitment

3:30 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to increase the numbers serving in the Air Corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13796/14]

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I am trying to ascertain the Minister's commitment to developing the numbers serving in the Air Corps. I welcome his recent announcement on recruitment to the Defence Forces and wonder how the Air Corps will benefit from the initiative.

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I announced the launch of a new recruitment campaign for enlisted personnel in both the Permanent and the Reserve Defence Forces on Friday, 7 March 2014. The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel and the current campaign will enable this to be achieved. Recruitment of personnel to the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps is determined in line with the operational requirements of each of the three services. As such, the Defence Forces plan to induct up to 400 enlisted personnel to the Permanent Defence Force in 2014.

In regard to specific Air Corps appointments, there are currently 17 pilots in training and it is planned to recruit a further nine Air Corps cadets this year, who will serve as pilots on commissioning. In addition to the 27 aircraft mechanic apprentices currently in training, it is planned to recruit a further 20 apprentices this year. Details of these competitions will be available on the Defence Forces website, , when the competitions commence. Requirements for additional recruits in the Air Corps will be addressed from the general service recruitment competition which is currently ongoing and from among line officers serving or due to be commissioned in the Permanent Defence Force.

In regard to technical and line NCO promotions and appointments in the Air Corps, a new promotion scheme for NCOs was piloted approximately two years ago and a large number of promotions were made from this competition. My Department is currently in the process of reviewing the pilot and is considering some changes to streamline the competitive process. These will then be discussed with the representative association, PDFORRA. I expect the new promotion competition to fill line and technical NCO vacancies across the Defence Forces to commence in the next few months.

I am advised by the Chief of Staff that the required operational strength of the Air Corps remains adequate and that the Air Corps is sufficiently resourced to continue to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply, much of which is positive. However, would he accept that the Air Corps is relatively small when compared internationally? If we compare Ireland with, for example, New Zealand, we find that one in four of the personnel in that country's defence force is a member of the air force, compared to one in 12 in Ireland. Do we need to develop the Air Corps to a greater extent by providing it with additional personnel to allow it to fulfil its remit?

3:35 pm

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Of course, that is one of the varied and numerous issues to be considered in the context of the Defence Force White Paper which will look to the future, to the State's needs and to the capabilities of the Defence Forces. It will look to the operational requirements, both in the context of serving abroad and at home and in providing an assistance to the civil power.

A key issue is resources. In the context of the Air Corps, there is the issue of the extent and nature of the missions that it is required to undertake and the capacity of the State, within limited financial resources, to purchase additional aircraft, and the need in that context.

As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl will be aware, substantial investment has been made in the Naval Service. We will see in the not too distant future the commissioning of a new naval vessel, which has cost in the region of €53 million. There is a further naval vessel under construction, which should be commissioned during the first half of next year, which has cost a similar sum of money. In the context of the Deputy's specific question, the future role of the Air Corps, the numbers within it, its capabilities and its operational needs all are issues to be considered in the context of the White Paper.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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In conclusion, I ask the Minister whether he himself is committed to improving the rotary-wing fleet so that it could be expanded to include additional helicopters, especially those with over-ocean capacity. Experiences in such missions as the EUFOR mission to Chad in central Africa have demonstrated the requirement to have accessible and appropriate rotary-wing capacity in difficult situations and over difficult terrains. Obviously, one understands the financial pressure that the Minister is under, but does he have a plan to improve the level of equipment that would be made available to the Air Corps in the period ahead?

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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We have been able to maintain the resources and equipment of the Defence Forces at a very high level to meet the operation requirements of the Defences Forces, both in the context of the Army, navy and Air Corps.

In the context of the consideration of the purchase of any further assets for the Air Corps, that is a matter based on looking at what is contained ultimately in the White Paper on the needs and requirements, what is affordable to the State and the nature of the engagement of the Air Corps, which is important to the State but which, of course, is also limited.