Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the establishment figure of the Naval Service; the strength as of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023; the current strength of the service; the number of personnel required under level of ambition 2; and the current number of ships that can simultaneously be put to sea. [22124/24]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I am looking for the establishment figure of the Naval Service, the strength as of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the current strength of the service, the number of personnel required under level of ambition, LOA, 2 and the current number of ships that can simultaneously be put to sea.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The establishment of the Naval Service is 1,094 personnel and the strength, as at 31 March 2024, was 722 personnel. The military authorities have advised that the strength of the Naval Service stood at 936 personnel in 2019, 902 in 2020, 875 in 2021, 798 in 2022, and 725 in 2023.

The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces approved a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Permanent Defence Force capability equivalent to LOA 2, requiring an additional 2,000 personnel, civil and military, beyond the 9,500 establishment figure.

The distribution of these additional personnel between the different branches of the Defence Forces is under consideration. The establishment of the Defence Forces was recently increased to 9,600 to expedite implementation of the report.

The ongoing staffing challenges in the Naval Service are well-documented. A number of recruitment and retention initiatives are under way aimed at maximising recruitment capacity and stabilising numbers. These include ongoing general service recruitment, re-entry schemes, eight Naval Service-specific direct entry competitions and three Naval Service cadetship competitions. An external recruitment company was engaged in 2023 to validate and assess the Defence Forces current recruitment methods, focusing on the Naval Service. A marine recruitment specialist company has been contracted to target individuals with the specific skills required by the Naval Service. In an effort to remove potential obstacles to recruitment, the maximum recruitment age has been increased to 39 for those roles that had a recruitment age below that, and to 50 for direct entry officer specialists.

Furthermore, a number of financial and non-financial retention initiatives are being implemented. These include an increase in the mandatory retirement age to 60, with a further increase to 62 anticipated, the doubling of the Naval Service patrol duty allowance, tax measures, and the extension of the provision of private secondary healthcare to all members of the Permanent Defence Force, in addition to significant progress on pay.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Naval Service has adopted a three-ship operational posture, with two ships operational and another on standby. In addition, I am advised that the first of the inshore patrol vessels will become operational in June, with the second of these vessels prioritised for entry into service thereafter.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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On the numbers, there were 1,094 personnel in 2019. That is now down to 722. A determination has not been made yet on how many more are required to reach llevel of ambition 2. I assume that figure will be made available fairly soon.

Irish waters make up 12% of all EU waters and 75% of subsea cables in the northern hemisphere pass through or near Irish waters. To monitor, surveil and secure these extensive waters, we have approximately one third fewer naval personnel than needed, we can put but a single ship to sea, and we have no subsea monitoring capabilities. I accept the Tánaiste inherited the recruitment and retention crisis and an ageing fleet but the fact of the matter is, under this Government, we have fewer naval personnel and can put them to sea less days a year than before he came to office. On a yearly basis, we should accept perhaps five to 15 retirements or discharges from the Naval Service. Under this Government, however, there has been an average of more than 100. The Tánaiste cannot simply fix a leaky bucket with more water. The issue has been compounded through a lack of capital investment.

At what point does the Tánaiste intend our Naval Service to once again have the capacity to participate in UN-mandated missions and meet its obligations at home in terms of fisheries protection, search and rescue assistance and drug interdiction? When will the Naval Service finally have the capacity to adequately monitor sovereign waters?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy made a number of points. There is no lack of capital investment in our navy either in Haulbowline, which has undergone significant infrastructural investment and will have more, or for the purchase of ships and so on. In respect of enhanced patrolling of the Irish Sea and surveillance, monitoring subsea cables in our exclusive economic zone is very important. We have seen what happened to Nord Stream 1 and 2 in October 2022.

There is a mixture of air and naval platforms, including the Naval Service fisheries monitoring centre based in Haulbowline, which is quite effective. It continues to remotely monitor vessels in the Irish zone on a 24-7 basis. Aerial monitoring and surveillance of the Irish exclusive economic zone is carried out by the Air Corps maritime patrol squadron. Two new C295 maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communications equipment, were delivered to the Air Corps in 2023 to replace the existing CASA CN-235 aircraft. These new aircraft have commenced operations following a significant and intensive period of training and verification.

I would not underestimate the Air Corps current capacities and the additional capacities it gives us in surveillance of our seas but, without question, the doubling of the patrol duty allowance and the retention initiatives, including the retirement age going up to 60, will be key in turning the numbers around.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I have no doubt that huge extra moves will need to be made in ensuring that we get through what is obviously a recruitment and, particularly, a retention issue regarding the Defence Forces in general.

The issue many of us have is what matters and is seen to qualify as a priority by the Government. It seems removing the triple lock is one. Officials are to proceed without delay in implementing the working time directive but we have yet to even see a draft Bill. The commission outlined in depth what is required to achieve level of ambition 2 over a ten-year period. It is viewed as a flagship policy by the Government but requires the Government and the Minister to have real ambition to achieve this. 2022 should have been a landmark year, when the Government laid down a clear commitment to achieve LOA 2 by 2032. Instead, it has put off delivering the capital funding necessary until 2028, potentially delaying its attainment by years further.

Will the Tánaiste return to the Cabinet to seek the funding required by the Defence Forces this year? When does the Government intend to deliver upon the LOA 2 target of 11,500 personnel?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have the funding. The issue is converting applications into recruitment and then retaining people longer in our service. The policy decision I pushed very strongly for, and secured, was the raising of the retirement age to 60, which is quite a dramatic and significant change. We will even increase it to 62 when the legislation goes through the House. That is important for retention.

I spoke informally yesterday at the PDFORRA conference, where people said to me that the doubling of the patrol duty allowance is already having an impact on the desire and motivation of those crewing ships. There was also an issue around the methodology of recruitment. That is why we brought in an external company in the human resources area to analyse whether the Naval Service or Defence Forces are recruiting properly by using modern, up-to-date recruitment practices. We learned a lot from that. Change is occurring there as well.

The working time directive has been agreed. We had very constructive engagement with PDFORRA, RACO and military management. It is now with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment because that is the Department that will have to legislate. We will proactively work with that Department to get this delivered. It is key priority of mine. I have pushed it very strongly since I became Minister and am determined to get it over the line. Very significant progress has been made on that.

There is no issue as regards capital. On primary radar, for example, the first thing to do in respect of capital acquisition is to beef up and strengthen procurement capacities, which were never at a level that envisaged the type of capital investment over the next decade the Commission on the Defence Forces signposted and the Government accepted. We are making considerable progress on some of the big ticket items contained within that commission's report.