John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if, following the publication of the report from the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces, he will outline a timeframe for the implementation for the recommendations contained in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13746/22]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Following the publication of the long-awaited report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, what is the timeline for its implementation? Key elements of it need to be implemented immediately, given the pressures relating to pay talks. I again ask the Minister to outline the implementation of the report. What will be the make-up of the implementation body, which will be instrumental in rolling out and implementing key elements?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government and the Government decision in December 2020, which also agreed its terms of reference and membership. The report was published on 9 February this year. The commission undertook a significant body of work encompassing its wide-ranging terms of reference. The report contains 69 main recommendations and, together with sub-recommendations, there are just over 130 overall. The commission's terms of reference included the consideration of appropriate capabilities, structures and staffing for the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service.

The report proposes significant changes for the Defence Forces, including its culture, high-level command and control structures, and the level of defence provision in Ireland. Clearly, these matters will require careful consideration and, in some critical aspects, interdepartmental discussion and agreement. This includes the level of resourcing that may be allocated to defence, legislative implications and the governance framework, which will require an underpinning in respect of changes and Government approval on foot of the commission's report.

It will also seek the views of the Department and the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces' representative associations will be consulted on all matters that fall within the scope of representation relating to the implementation of any approved plan. I will also engage with key stakeholders and the Oireachtas; I welcome the Dáil statements on the report that took place on 16 February. I firmly believe that this is an opportunity to have a mature debate around the type of defence capabilities we require and I am very much open to such a discussion. Current events are highlighting the importance of such a debate.

The intent is that following relevant consultation, and before the summer recess, I will revert to the Government with a proposed response to the commission's recommendations and a high-level action plan. This high-level plan will set out proposed timelines and oversight arrangements for its implementation. It would be inappropriate for me to give an outcome of the deliberations at this stage but, as I have said to the Deputy previously, I hope to be able to do that in June, if I can.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I also welcome the publication of the report. There are key recommendations in it that will go a long way towards addressing the major challenges of pay and retention in the Defence Forces, for which staffing levels are thousands below where the establishment figure should be. One of the key recommendations, which the Minister has been asked about a number of times now, including by me, is to implement associate affiliation to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, of representative organisations. The pressure is on because pay talks will commence in May. I am acutely aware that the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, has had to resort to the courts to try to force the Minister to implement this key proposal. PDFORRA has been very clear that if the Minister was to show some goodwill in ceding to its very legitimate request it would withdraw that court case. The Minister needs to show goodwill in the first instance and agree to allow PDFORRA and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, to affiliate with ICTU.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As I said, I hope to bring forward an action plan and implementation plan that I can bring to Government before the summer recess. I hope to be able to do that in June. Certainly, people who have studied the detail of this report will understand that quite a lot of consultation is required before we can do that. It is important to give it that time but we do not want to waste any time either. I assure the Deputy we are not doing that. I have started discussions with the representative bodies and others to put that implementation plan together.

The Deputy is correct that some of the recommendations, in particular that relating to associate membership of ICTU, should the representative bodies want that, is timely because a new round of public sector pay talks will start before the summer. I am conscious of that but it would certainly be helpful in those efforts, and I could speak in a much more open way with the representative bodies, if a court case was not happening in parallel to these discussions.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I ask everyone to keep to the times. We all run over, but please stick to the times.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I again ask the Minister to show some goodwill. That court case was initiated because of his failure, and that of the Government, to deal with the key issues in the Defence Forces. They are prepared to withdraw their court case, but the Minister needs to demonstrate goodwill in the first instance because if they withdraw that case, they cannot resubmit it. The Minister needs to be very clear to them that this is a key recommendation and is key to addressing the major challenges and shortcomings in the Defence Forces. In the first instance, he needs to act by stating he is very much open to this, he is very conscious of the time pressures, given the pay talks in May, and it is something he is willing to do. On that basis, it will show the Defence Forces he is prepared to act on this key recommendation. Again, it is critical. Certainly, we cannot wait until June. The Minister is acutely aware of that. It needs to made clear to the Defence Forces now to prepare for the pay talks beginning in May.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have spoken to PDFORRA about this issue; I assume the Deputy knows that. There is no issue with goodwill. This is about trying to work our way through one of many issues we have to work through arising from the recommendations of the commission. I have said I have an open mind about PDFORRA's relationship with ICTU in the context of pay talks and that is my position. I have also said it is very difficult for me to talk to PDFORRA about the detail of that while a court case is ongoing. That is self-evident. There is no stand-off here and no manoeuvring is going on. I want to have an open discussion with the representative bodies on this issue so that we can resolve it to everybody's satisfaction and we can move forward. The court case just makes that more difficult because I am much more limited in what I can say. PDFORRA understand that and I hope we will see some progress in this space soon.