Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on the report on the well-being of members of the Permanent Defence Force; his plans to address the principal issues which require attention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33932/16]

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Before I put my question to the Minister of State, I wish to take a moment to pay tribute to Colonel Frank Lawless, the former director of Defence Forces training and education, who passed away in service last month. He was a native of Newbridge and came from a very distinguished military family. He served his country with expertise, dignity and distinction. He was an exemplary member of the Defence Forces and is a huge loss to his family and military colleagues. He served with distinction and will be well remembered and respected for the compassion and kindness he showed to the soldiers with whom he served. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

My question relates to the response of the Department of Defence to the report on the well-being of members of the Permanent Defence Force and the plans to address the principal issues which require attention.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I join the Deputy in offering my condolences to the family of Colonel Frank Lawless on their recent bereavement. I had the opportunity to sympathise with his wife and two children recently. He is a huge loss to the Defence Forces, particularly the training college at the Curragh where he played a very important role as director.

The independent monitoring group was established in May 2002 to oversee implementation of recommendations arising from a report on interpersonal relationships within the Defence Forces. Both the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, and the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, are represented on the group.

The third and most recent report of the group was published in September 2014. Among its recommendations was that a climate survey be conducted within 12 months and subsequently at reasonable intervals. A similar survey was conducted in 2008. The aim of the survey which was conducted by the University of Limerick was to identify trends to inform best practice in human resources management and training and education within the Defence Forces. As with the 2008 survey, approximately 11% of the workforce, in this instance, 1,055 personnel, were sampled.The key findings of the survey are grouped under topics such as work-life balance, peer support, organisational justice within the organisation, procedural justice, organisational fairness, Defence Forces integrity and supervisory justice. The researchers who undertook the project point out that the findings of the report and its recommendations are interconnected and that caution should apply to reading or responding to any one finding in isolation.

I have reviewed the report in detail. I have also received a briefing on the findings from the University of Limerick. The survey findings clearly point to challenges for the Defence Forces, particularly in the areas of leadership, communication, organisational culture, the working environment and active management of personnel expectations. However, many positives also emanated from the survey, especially regarding the commitment of personnel to the values and mission of the organisation, high levels of work satisfaction, pride in the organisation and positive views on culture and work support.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The response to the issues raised in the report on the climate survey will be led by the Chief of Staff by way of an action plan which involves the engagement of all levels of management within the organisation.

Both RACO and PDFORRA were recently briefed by the University of Limerick researchers on their findings and conclusions. Following that briefing, I recently met the representative associations to hear their views and listen to their concerns about the report. At the meeting we agreed that they would be fully engaged in the response to the report and the proposed action plan through the implementation monitoring group framework, whereby they could put forward their views on appropriate responses. The group provides a collaborative environment in which issues can be surfaced and addressed jointly by management and staff representatives. It was also agreed that there would be a further meeting with the University of Limerick and the implementation monitoring group to further consider the findings and get behind the quantitative data contained in the report. The associations will also attend planned focus groups, to be facilitated by the University of Limerick, to further explore the issues raised in the climate survey report.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I take note of what the Minister of State has said, but I wish to focus on a number of issues. It is very clear from the survey responses that Defence Forces personnel have become less happy in recent years with their working conditions. There is a very strong perception of a lack of justice in the organisation. It is also clear that there is a disconnect between the expectations of members of the Defence Forces and how they are met. It is particularly disturbing that while 70% of respondents felt loyal to the Defence Forces and its values, only 23% felt obliged not to look for work elsewhere. This means that 77% would consider looking for work elsewhere. I understand it is the intention of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to engage the University of Limerick to conduct a series of focus groups with serving personnel. When will these focus groups commence? What is the schedule and when will a report be delivered to the implementation monitoring group?

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Establishment of the focus groups is a matter for the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, with whom I have engaged in some consultation. I have asked him to revert to me with a plan and profile of the timelines for the focus groups. It is important to recognise that it was very courageous and forward looking of the Defence Forces to take the initiative of conducting a climate survey and questioning their members. The survey gave personnel, who number more than 9,500, an opportunity to express their real feelings about the Defence Forces. There is no doubt that there are huge challenges ahead on foot of the findings of the survey. In such a large organisation the management of expectations is a huge challenge for the leadership of the Defence Forces, but it is one that can be met.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I take note of the Minister of State's reply and also commend the Defence Forces for carrying out the climate survey. It is very disconcerting to note, however, that more than 10% of commissioned officers and 25% of enlisted personnel have left the Defence Forces since the 2013 reorganisation. There are significant gaps in capability, expertise and unit manning levels. There are no conclusions or recommendations made in the report as to how the Department of Defence can deal with this issue. Another key question relates to the initiatives that can be taken to mitigate the extent of voluntary exits. It is well known that retention initiatives are deliverable at a fraction of the cost of constant recruitment and training.

I have a specific question about the 38 vacancies in the middle and lower ranks of the Naval Service. The non-filling of these vacancies is preventing ships from going to sea and negatively impacting on the welfare, productivity and operational capacity of the Naval Service.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is correct in pointing out that many initiatives taken by the Defence Forces are cost neutral. The Defence Forces have introduced a number of initiatives to improve family life for personnel, for example.

Probably one of the biggest is the rotation of personnel abroad where they can do a three-month tour of duty instead of a six-month tour. That was one of the initiatives to help families and often young families, fathers and mothers who were separating themselves from their sons and daughters.

I wish to meet with the representative organisations, which are the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers and the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association. I met both organisations recently and my officials and I had a discussion with them to find out what their feelings were following the publication of the climate survey. I will continue to interact with the organisations because they are the representatives of the people on the ground and if there is a message to come forward, it comes from the bottom up