Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way that it is proposed to strengthen the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58381/22]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 361 of 11 October 2022, when he expects the next recruitment campaign for the Reserve Defence Force to open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57629/22]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I want to ask the Minister when the next campaign to enlist people into the Reserve Defence Force will commence. What shape will it take and will it be a dynamic campaign?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 27 together.

I am always happy to answer questions on the Reserve because it is an area of the defence family I want to prioritise and, in the past, perhaps it may not have had the priority it needs. The Government remains committed to the advancement of the Reserve Defence Force, RDF. Indeed, the White Paper on Defence has fully acknowledged that there is a clear need to retain, develop and grow the Reserve.

The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which was published last February, serves to reinforce that commitment. As the Deputy will be aware, the report contains many recommendations on the future role and structure of the RDF. A civil-military implementation management office has been established to support the implementation of the overall programme, initially focusing on some 38 early actions to be completed within six months of the Government decision, as set out in the high-level action plan. Two such actions relate to the RDF, namely the establishment of the office of Reserve affairs, ORA, and the development of a regeneration plan for the Reserve. It is clear both of these early-action plans are directly linked and the establishment of the ORA will be an essential first step in tackling the revitalisation of the Reserve. Planning by the military authorities, in collaboration with my officials, has commenced on establishing the ORA. Once it is established, it will be actively involved in implementing the accepted recommendations of the commission, which will serve to create a Reserve force that can seamlessly train, operate and deploy with the Permanent Defence Force, nationally and internationally. We now have legislation that allows us to do this. This process will also take into consideration the other recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the Reserve, including that the future establishment of the Reserve should be increased and should include, at a minimum, an air force reserve of 200 and a naval reserve of 400.

The Deputy may also be aware that a recruitment drive for the RDF was launched this year, on 21 March 2022, which was advertised across a number of media channels. Recruitment liaison officers across the RDF conducted local recruitment to attract applicants for this campaign. I am advised that more than 1,000 applications were received during this window, which is encouraging. To date, 88 RDF recruits have been inducted into the Defence Forces, and the processing of eligible applicants is continuing. The military authorities have advised that once this body of work is completed, consideration will be given to the launch of a further recruitment campaign in mid-2023. I assure the Deputy that it is my intention, and that of the Chief of Staff, to ensure the momentum behind the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained throughout 2023 and the coming years.

It was encouraging for me to see what happened over the summer. We launched a recruitment campaign for the Reserve, for which more than 1,000 people applied. We had to close the application process because the applications beyond that number would not have been manageable in the short term. What that says to me, unlike the impression often given, is that there is a strong appetite to join the Defence Forces, including the Reserve and Permanent Defence Force. Our challenge is to turn that into numbers of people who actually join, commit and stay in the forces. We can do that with many of the changes that are being proposed now. It is important to give the message that we will open a new recruitment campaign for the Reserve. We want people to join the Reserve.

It is going to be a valued part of the overall defence family. It is going to get a lot more resources in the years ahead and will also be doing a lot more, including overseas.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for that response. I will also say "well done" to the Department and the military authorities for the work they have done in this area. However, it seems that 88 inductees to date out of 1,000 applicants is quite a small number. Will the Minister indicate what is going on with the other people who have applied to join but have not been taken on? Have people withdrawn? Is it a matter of fitness issues or other issues? A figure of 88 out of 1,000 seems quite small. Is the new recruitment campaign that is to begin in 2023 to begin when these 1,000 applications, which have been closed, have all been processed? Will the Minister comment on whether inclusion and diversity, particularly the latter, are being promoted as part of this recruitment campaign?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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This 88 will not be the final number from the 1,000 who applied. Assessment is ongoing. As people who have been in the Defence Forces will know, in order to progress applications, medicals and security checks need to happen. A series of tests is required before a person can be inducted into the Defence Forces, including the Reserve. That process is under way for many more applicants. In truth, we have faced some challenges. We need to learn some lessons to improve the next time around. For example, the pressure the Permanent Defence Force has been under in providing medicals for those looking to join the Reserve has been an issue as regards resourcing and capacity. We have looked at outsourcing those medicals to GPs. We need to improve those structures to make sure that, when there is an appetite to join, we can turn that appetite into increased numbers.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The other question I asked was about diversity. Is that a factor in the recruitment campaign? Will the Minister give us an indication as to when the office of reserve affairs will be up and running?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Diversity is an issue for the permanent Defence Forces and for the Reserve. My understanding is that, as of 31 October, the effective female strength of the Reserve Defence Force is 199 members. We need a lot more than that. All recruitment campaigns will be focused on trying to ensure the Defence Forces reflect Irish society, which is as diverse and gender-balanced as it possibly can be. I suspect I will get an update on the office of reserve affairs later on. The plan was to have it set up within six months of the Government decision, which means that it needs to be done in the next couple of months.