Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way in which the shortfall in critical staffing levels in the Defence Forces poses a national security risk; the efforts which are being made to resolve this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60898/25]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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We have had discussions regarding a number of these issues. We have talked about the triple lock and that relates to the deployment of our troops abroad. A lot has been said about the world that is changing. It is my view that the Defence Forces were allowed to go significantly backwards by successive governments. That is true in terms of equipment but it is also most true in terms of personnel. We are well below establishment. It is not acceptable and it needs to be addressed quite urgently.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The first thing I will say, and I know we will all join in this, is that debates about triple locks and all that are terribly important but in the here and now there are men and women being deployed overseas. I had the honour of reviewing the 127th battalion that is heading out as part of the UNIFIL mission to southern Lebanon imminently, this month. We thank the 362 men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann for that. I make that point because we get to talk about things in the abstract here. These are 362 men and women who are going to contribute to our very long, decades-old peacekeeping involvement in southern Lebanon.

On the broad issue of recruitment and the impact of recruitment and numbers for the security and defence of the country, our programme for Government sets out a number of commitments relating to national security as well as priorities for recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces.

In this regard, the previous Government approved a move to a Permanent Defence Force capability equivalent to level of ambition 2, which requires us to get to an establishment figure of 11,500, including a civilian component, by 2028. To support this and the implementation of related measures, the recent budget provided a record allocation of €1.49 billion for the defence sector, an increase of €145 million on 2025. These funds include, among other things, a provision for the recruitment of a net 400 additional Permanent Defence Force members per annum.

In order to meet Government targets, the Defence Forces are making concerted efforts to ramp up recruitment. Last year, for the first time in a long time, there was a stabilisation in numbers, with 708 inductions to the Permanent Defence Force and discharges of 674. That was the first year for a long time there was a net increase, albeit small, in personnel. I am pleased to say that signs for the year to date give cause for further positivity - I was briefed on this by the Chief of Staff yesterday. Application numbers already exceed the total for last year and discharges are significantly fewer than this time last year. There are many more people applying and fewer people seeking to be discharged.

We have tried to introduce a range of measures to support and bolster Defence Forces recruitment, and perhaps I can come back on them in a moment.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome an increase in Defence Force numbers, given that this has been a matter of discussion in these Houses for a number of years in terms of the recruitment and retention crisis. The advance we are talking about is quite modest given the context. We are far from the commission on the future of the Defence Forces. We are below establishment and the minimum acceptable level of personnel.

I want to focus on officers. Governance in the Defence Forces is a key factor when it comes to national security. There are 330 officers in the Defence Forces with less than five years' experience. That points to the fact that we have found it difficult to retain experienced and well-trained officers who can aid and assist in training young officers in the interests of national security. A key aspect of this is retention. A specialist pay review was recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022, which has not been established, to provide an ongoing review of the application of existing specialist pay rates and allowances and to make recommendations where adjustments are required. This has yet to be seen and would have retained highly skilled members of the Defence Forces.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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By the end of April, the Defence Forces will have submitted to me, and I will publish, a workforce plan that shows how we get to where we need to be in terms of personnel by 2028. That will require a number of pinch points to be addressed. We are now seeing real interest in joining the Defence Forces. We can all take a sense of encouragement from the fact that people want to wear the uniform of Óglaigh na hÉireann and the numbers this year will be up on last year because more people are seeking to join and fewer people are seeking to leave the Defence forces this year than last. We still need a step change, and I fully accept that.

We have introduced a range of measures. We have increased the maximum age of recruitment and the age of retirement. We have extended private secondary healthcare to all personnel. The application of the provisions of the working time directive, subject to certain exemptions, has been a very welcome development. We have brought about increases to the patrol duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel. We have extended the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years. We have extended the service commitment scheme for pilots in the Air Corps to air traffic control personnel. We have engaged external expertise to support recruitment into the Naval Service. We have introduced a professional structure payment allowance. We have seen a significant-----

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Very often, people want to serve. The Minister spoke about the quality of the people he inspected recently. The men and women of the Defence Forces are our greatest asset. Even at times when payments and allowances were less favourable, people wanted to join.

The difficulty is that many of these people are very capable, skilled and experienced and are the kind of people private industry wants. In many instances, the challenge we have faced is that highly qualified and very capable members of the Defence Forces, due to their difficulty in making ends meet or the pressures they are under due to the cost of living crisis, see more attractive pay and conditions in industries such as pharmaceuticals, medtech and other areas.

In terms of the retention of officers and personnel more generally in the Defence Forces, we need a specialist pay review to be established. We need to review the post-2013 pension arrangements and training establishment.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am very open to the idea of a specialist pay review. I said that to the Deputy on a previous occasion. We will examine that in the context of the next national pay agreement, along with the workforce plan. The Deputy put forward a set of challenges as to why people sometimes leave parts of the public service. I put forward a different set of reasons. I referred to full employment, a vibrant private sector and foreign direct investment, which provide a huge opportunity for people with skills to work in a variety of different areas.

On the broader issue of pay, we cannot say it enough to people considering joining the Defence Forces that we should debunk some of the myths. I am not referring to myths put forward by anybody here, but recruit pay in the Defence Forces on completion of training, which takes around 24 weeks, now starts at €41,880. A school-leaver cadet on commissioning starts at just over €45,000, rising to over €51,000 after two years. Where a graduate joins, the pay rate on commission begins at over €51,000. Challenges undoubtedly remain, but we are now seeing a record level of expenditure and pay because the personnel in Oglaigh na hÉireann are our best assets.