Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the question. There is no doubt there is a significant recruitment and retention issue within our Defence Forces. Work is under way to counter these. Current recruitment initiatives include ongoing general service and direct entry recruitment, the re-entry schemes, and the Be More recruitment campaign. An important development is the joint induction training centre which has been established in Gormanston with a view to increasing the throughput of recruits destined for all branches of the Defence Forces, and the training syllabus for these recruits has been refined. The maximum age of entry has been increased to 29 years for general service recruits, cadets, apprentices and certain specialists. Fitness test scoring has also been amended to maximise induction levels. External human resources expertise has recently been engaged. This will assess Defence Forces recruitment and the candidate’s recruitment journey with a view to validation of current processes and appropriate recommendations, where required.

To address specific challenges in the Naval Service and in an effort to maximise the recruit pool, psychometric testing for Naval Service general service recruitment has been paused on a pilot basis for six months, with an analysis of the revised approach to take place at this point. A specific Naval Service recruitment campaign is in train, and a contract has recently been awarded to a marine specialist recruitment body to target individuals with the skills and expertise required by the Naval Service. A range of financial and non-financial retention measures have been introduced, such as service commitment schemes in the Air Corps and the Naval Service; tax measures; extension of private secondary medical care to all Defence Forces personnel; and significant progress on pay, which compares favourably with other areas in the public service. My immediate focus is on stabilising the numbers of personnel and facilitating the capacity for further increases. This will enable us to align ultimately with the level of ambition recommended in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and agreed by Government.

I assure the Deputy that career progression is comprehended in the Strategic Framework on the Transformation of the Defence Forces, which brings together into one plan the actions to be taken to support the transformation agenda. All relevant recommendations of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, including those pertaining to career progression, are included. Career and talent processes and promotion systems are specifically mentioned under the strategic human resources and cultural change to be delivered section.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I revert to RACO's appearance before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence earlier. It made a very powerful presentation. One of the criticisms that was set out was that the organisation, that is, the Defence Forces, continues to prioritise costly labour-intensive recruitment policies in favour of tangible retention initiatives. We know there is a need for recruitment initiatives, but we have to deal with the retention issue. It was set out today by RACO, it has been put on the record by PDFORRA, and it has been stated to me and, I am sure, every Member of this House by every serving member of the Defence Forces I have spoken to that the number one retention initiative that can be taken is the working time directive. The Tánaiste is on the record as saying he is prioritising that, yet we have no timeframe at all. What does that prioritising look like, and when will we see the working time directive implemented?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Would the Tánaiste agree that it would be important to try to find out why personnel are leaving the Defence Forces? Is he aware of the quantitative analysis carried out by RACO which states that 78% of respondents did not receive an exit interview? There is very little attempt being made to find out why they are leaving.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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What was the other thing the Deputy said?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Some 78% have not received an exit interview.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Moynihan made some very important points not only about culture but also about progression. That is an issue, without question, and the independent oversight group that has been appointed in respect of the IRG is looking at that issue, at the whole promotional system within the Defence Forces and how we can encourage more women in terms of promotion. Traditionally and historically, the system of promotion was negative towards women, without question. That has come across in any engagement with women within the Defence Forces. That has to change. Approaches to the career progression have to change also and have to be more broad-minded in attitude.

I would not accept the presentation made by RACO that we are overdoing recruitment at the expense of retention. We have to do both. The decision to make secondary health treatment available to all members of the Defence Forces for the first time is a retention measure. It is also a recruitment measure, but I would argue that it is a significant retention measure in addition to other measures we have taken, such as improving the basic rates at which people are paid when they become officers or members of the Defence Forces more generally. We are not prioritising one over the other; we are working on both. They are not that costly, given what we have to do.

Deputy Stanton asked a fair question. We need to do a deeper-dive analysis on that matter.