Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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69. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will outline the pay improvement measures recommended by the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces; the expected timeline for the implementation of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33771/22]

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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As we are aware, approximately five months ago, the Commission on the Defence Forces report was published. There are a number of very specific pay improvement recommendations in that report. I would be grateful if the Minister could update the House on what those pay improvement recommendations are and, most importantly, what is the timeline for implementation of the recommendations.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Commission on the Defence Forces has undertaken a significant body of work encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference, including an examination of the evolution of remuneration systems and structures currently in place in the Defence Forces. The report makes a number of recommendations in this regard, including on pay structures, pay review, pay bargaining and ICTU. These recommendations are significant and require detailed consideration. In regard to the ICTU recommendation, the Deputy will be aware that I recently provided my consent for the temporary associate membership of ICTU for the purpose of engagement in national pay negotiations.

It is worth noting also that the commission observed that much of the commentary surrounding issues of pay in the Defence Forces does not seem to fully reflect the totality of the remuneration package and it believes that this needs to be better communicated. A recently developed infographic on the benefits of a career in the Defence Forces aims to address this. It sets out, for example, that a graduate cadet, on commissioning, will receive €43,630 per annum; a school leaver cadet, on commissioning, will receive €38,601 per annum; and a recruit, on completion of 26 weeks training, will receive €30,152 per annum. I have detailed rates of pay across all ranks, which I will happily provide to the Deputy, although I suspect, given his background, he is more than familiar with those rates.

Clearly any implementation of the report’s recommendations requires careful consideration and in some critical aspects an interdepartmental discussion. Since its publication, I have engaged in extensive consultation with my ministerial colleagues and with a range of other stakeholders, including representative associations. I will shortly revert to the Government with a proposed response to the commission's recommendations and a high-level action plan.  This is a complex process dependent on securing Cabinet agreement on the recommendations. The implementation process will, and can only, follow that.

In terms of pay more generally the Government remains fully committed to addressing pay and conditions in the Defence Forces where issues arise and in the context of national pay agreements. The current public service pay agreement provides for increases in pay and allowances to all public servants, including members of the Defence Forces, and the Deputy is aware that negotiations have been ongoing on an extension to this agreement. I will come back to him with more detail.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I welcome the permission for the PDFORRA and RACO to associate with ICTU. That is at least half a step forward. The measures to which I specifically referred are on page XXIV - it is in Roman numerals - in the report. The commission identified four things: it recommended an increase in military service allowance for people with fewer than three years' service; the introduction of long service increments; the simplification of offshore allowances for the Naval Service; and the introduction of a lance corporal rank of about 840 people. We have assembled an international panel of experts. We must remember that the military is the only group of workers in the country with no access to the Labour Court. In the spirit of constructive engagement, would the Minister accept that there is merit in recognising these pay recommendations from the commission as being equivalent to a Labour Court recommendation and as such should be accepted and implemented by the Government?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure about recognising that the commission's recommendations on pay would be the equivalent of a Labour Court recommendation but certainly they need to be taken seriously, regardless of what equivalence there may be. The Government needs to deliver on the recommendations of this commission report. It is credible and badly needed. It has exposed significant capacity gaps in our defence infrastructure that need to be responded to. I hope to be able to bring the report to the Government very shortly. I cannot give the detail as to what the Government will decide in regard to some of the recommendations. I do not have Government approval for that yet. I have to get that approval from colleagues before announcing it in this House. The Deputy has no doubt read this report a number of times, as I have. They are very sound recommendations in regard to how we manage people and reward them for the work they do and for the risks they take. I want to see the recommendations in this report implemented in full. Questions arise as to how and how quickly we do that, what it will cost and whether I can get Government agreement on it. I hope to be able to answer all those questions shortly.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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I thank the Minister. The reason I raise the Labour Court issue is that many of the Minister's Cabinet colleagues would probably not be aware – I would not expect them to be aware – that military personnel are the only people without access to the Labour Court. To me, a panel of international experts recommending specific pay improvements should at least hold equivalence. It gives the Minister a small level of leverage from a negotiation point of view with his Cabinet colleagues. There is legislation which would give the Minister significant leverage, in that these recommendations in the commission’s report really only bring many of the troops up to the national minimum wage of €10.50 an hour. The Minister’s Cabinet colleagues may not be aware that the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 applies to the Defence Forces but is currently not being applied. Those two factors should certainly be considered. The military has no access to the Labour Court and some of these recommendations are only bringing military pay up to the national minimum wage. I would be grateful if the Minister would raise that with his Cabinet colleagues. It is a significant point of leverage when it comes to negotiations.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Defence does not make a final decision, certainly not on their own, in regard to pay and allowances in the Defence Forces and how the military is treated in terms of public sector pay policy. That requires the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's approval. The Deputy will have seen for example the Naval Service supports on going to sea and how long it took to get agreement on those issues. We are in the middle of a pay discussion at the moment and I need to be aware of that. We are also close to bringing recommendations from me to Government in regard to how we respond comprehensively to the commission's report. I am in contact with other key Ministers, in particular the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, and the Taoiseach's office in regard to trying to provide as comprehensive a response as we can to some of the issues raised. However, it must also be consistent with public sector pay policy. I do not think the Deputy will have to wait too long to get the answers to those questions.