Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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82. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will report on the efforts to ensure the target of reaching 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56189/21]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way his Department intends to ensure the target strength of 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56293/21]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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102. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the details of the plans that are under way to ensure the target strength of 9,500 members of the Defence Forces is achieved in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56291/21]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when he expects the number in the Defence Forces to reach 9,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56478/21]

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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126. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current strength of the Defence Forces in each of the services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56484/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 93, 102, 110 and 126 together.

On 31 October 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, was 8,572 whole-time equivalent personnel comprising 6,946 Army, 878 Naval Service and 748 Air Corps members. While the Government remains committed to returning to and maintaining the agreed strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, a number of factors, some of which are hard to predict, will impact on the timeframe in which this can be achieved.

I have acknowledged the ongoing staffing challenges in the Defence Forces, and a range of actions are designed to tackle this. Continuing recruitment has resulted in a total of 577 personnel being inducted as of 15 November. The scope of direct entry competitions was expanded in 2021 from ten competitions, to include a new Air Corps aircraft technician competition. Additionally, direct entry terms and conditions continue to be revised to improve intakes. The re-entry campaign for former members of the PDF continues.

On retention, there has been significant progress on pay arising out of increases due from recent pay agreements, the most recent of which was a 1% increase on annualised salaries, or €500, whichever is greater, on 1 October, with further increases to follow. There are now service commitment schemes in both the Air Corps and the Naval Service and a special naval service tax credit for seagoing personnel. Furthermore, in light of the particular challenges faced by the defence sector, the Government tasked the Public Service Pay Commission, PSPC, to undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of the underlying difficulties in recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces. I am confident the pay benefits delivered by the public service pay agreements, in tandem with the implementation of the PSPC's recommendations, will improve recruitment and retention challenges currently being experienced by the PDF.

Additionally, the Commission on the Defence Forces is due to submit its report by the end of the year and I look forward to receiving it in due course. The recommendations will then be fully considered and will inform future decisions regarding the Defence Forces. My focus remains on retaining and restoring the Permanent Defence Force to its full capacity, but it will take time for some of these measures to take full effect.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for dealing with this matter. On the figures for 2020 and 2021, I am interested that we had 5,269 applications to join the Army in 2020, out of which 3,323 applicants did not complete the process. Up to the end of June this year, there were 2,752 applications, with 1,031 applicants withdrawing. There are also figures for the Naval Service. Has any analysis been done on why people have withdrawn? Has that been identified? Will it be part of the process in the review being carried out by the Department? Why not look at the people who had an interest and expressed an interest but then withdrew?

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister is aware, this is not just a critical time for the Permanent Defence Force but for the Reserve Defence Force. Unfortunately, the personnel enlisted in the Reserve at present is the lowest ever, at only just in excess of 1,500 personnel. A significant recruitment campaign and additional resources are needed. The Reserve Defence Force, as I often put on the record of the House, is often underutilised and many times underappreciated. It stood with other agencies of the State during very difficult times, going back to the Second World War and the more recent era of the Troubles in the Border region, in particular.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Burke is correct. When you look at the number of people who apply to join the Defence Forces and the number who fall out of that recruitment process, you do have to ask why. Those questions are being asked and we will see recommendations on HR management and recruitment from the commission in the weeks ahead. There is an appetite to join the Defence Forces. Many people who want to join, for whatever reason, then decide that they cannot or will not. We need to try to address that.

I was very pleased to attend a commissioning ceremony for 29 new Reserve Defence Force officers in the past week. I will state very clearly to the House that I want to prioritise the future of the Reserve. That is why we have changed defence legislation to remove a barrier on RDF members serving overseas. That was done for two reasons: to give a signal that we want to expand the role of the Reserve and that we want more people to join. I certainly hope we will make significant progress over the next year or so in increasing the numbers in the Reserve because it has a very important role to play in tandem with the Permanent Defence Force.