Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste is most welcome. I am sure Senator Lombard will not interrupt him.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I never interrupt a Corkman. The Tánaiste is more than welcome. I am delighted to have him here. It is a great honour to have a Tánaiste in the Chamber to discuss a Commencement matter. It is a rare event, so I acknowledge the Tánaiste's presence this morning.

This issue of recruitment to the Naval Service is very close to the hearts of the Tánaiste and his constituents. Our Naval Service has roughly 775 personnel, with 77 in the Reserve. The issue emerged last week when we had a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to a drugs seizure off the south-east coast that saw really significant co-operation involving the Defence Forces, the Coast Guard and the customs service. They had really good and positive success when they captured the ship and seized the contraband on it. It brought to light the real worry we have regarding the capacity of our Naval Service.

The Tánaiste might confirm that we have only two naval ships in active service at present, unfortunately. We have one on standby. This is a significant issue considering that 437,000 sq. km of water must be patrolled. This is an area roughly five times the size of Ireland. Trying to patrol an area five times the size of Ireland with two naval ships is a significant challenge, to say the very least. In addition, at both EU and national level, there are security issues that need to be examined. I am concerned that the EU, including Ireland, faces security issues regarding the fishing industry, the patrolling of waters, and customs and excise. This requires a significant body of work, considering what is required to patrol a body of water such as ours. How can we ensure that we have a Naval Service that is fit for purpose?

I fully understand that there is a commission, a report coming forward, and major work being done to ensure better pay and conditions for recruits. The work involves a significant challenge, taking into consideration that the unemployment rate is dropping below 4%. As the Tánaiste knows, in our part of the world there are competing demands regarding employment. I have heard stories of complete classes of Naval Service recruits going to multinationals halfway through training because they were of a certain standard. That is a significant challenge for us.

I would like clarity on the two new naval ships that I believe were purchased second-hand from New Zealand and brought here last May, having cost something like €26 million. This was a significant investment, which I really welcome, but where are we going to get the manpower to make sure we get these ships into the water? Basically, we need a pathway to ensure confidence in the Naval Service and to ensure people can be recruited. Those recruits can come into the main service or the Reserve, which has a role to play. With the Reserve strength as low as 77, it is really challenging to ensure the Reserve is appropriate.

As much as it is a great pleasure to have the Tánaiste here, I believe there is a significant challenge. I would like clarity on how we can get our Naval Service up to capacity to make sure we can patrol our waters.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue in respect of recruitment and retention plans for the Naval Service. I acknowledge and pay tribute to the joint task force on its work last week in successfully detaining the cargo vessel MV Matthew, working with the Revenue Commissioners, the Customs and Excise and An Garda, which has overall responsibility for the prevention of drug trafficking and crime. The Defence Forces across the three services – it is important to stress the three services – demonstrated their unique skills and professionalism in providing key roles to successfully deliver on this operation. The Air Corps exhibited tremendous precision and skill in managing the helicopter and the Army Ranger Wing demonstrated great courage, skill and speed in taking control of the vessel, as did the Naval Service in shadowing, monitoring and eventually taking control of the vessel coming back into Cork. In essence, the operation, involving all three services, is the way forward. Therefore, we cannot consider maritime surveillance exclusively in terms of ships as there is also a very strong aerial context.

For quite a number of years, there has been a significant issue with recruitment in our Defence Forces. It is particularly acute in our Naval Service. There have been particular challenges over the past three to four years with the recruitment and retention of specialists who enable ships to operate and with competing demands from other sectors, which the Senator has mentioned. The skills developed by the highly trained personnel in our Defence Forces are highly sought after in a buoyant employment market. Particularly at the lower harbour in Cork and Ringaskiddy, there is significant competition for employment and a significant focus on our trained naval personnel.

A range of measures have been introduced to deal with pay and conditions. It is important that the very significant increases in staff and pay be acknowledged. There tends not to be awareness of what has happened. For example, in 2019, or about four years ago, a newly qualified private 3 star private could expect to earn €27,759 gross per annum, including the military service allowance but excluding the duty allowance.Following the implementation of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommendations and the pay increases under the Building Momentum public service pay agreement, the final 1.5% of which is due on 1 October of this year, on completion of training which will take approximately 24 weeks, recruits now start at €38,000, as compared to €27,000 four years ago, in year one. A person coming out of the leaving certificate is on €38,000. He or she is on €39,400 in year two and €40,700 in year three. In terms of officers, a school-leaver cadet, on commissioning as an officer, is paid €41,962. This is a second lieutenant position. After two years, he or she is promoted to lieutenant and his or her pay rises to €47,245. Where a graduate joins, the pay rate, on commissioning as an lieutenant, begins at €47,245. They all include pension and military service allowance, which is an allowance that is paid to all ranks up to and including the rank of colonel for the unpredictable nature of the work encountered by the Defence Forces. That needs to be acknowledged. It is a significant improvement.

Notwithstanding all of that, we are working on other measures to try to improve the situation. That includes general service recruitment and specialist recruitment undertaken through direct entry and re-entry schemes. The Be More recruitment campaign continues and the benefits of a career in the Naval Services were highlighted through a bespoke Naval Service advertisement. In addition, the military authorities keep all aspects of recruitment under ongoing review to ensure they determine effectively a candidate's suitability for entry to the Defence Forces. On this basis and in an effort to maximise the recruitment pool, psychometric testing, which had been the norm in the naval general service recruitment, was paused in June of this year on a pilot basis for six months. An analysis of the revised approach will take place that will inform future decisions on this process. Fitness test scoring has also been amended to a traffic-light system where reduced capacity does not necessarily preclude the individual from the recruitment process. In other words, quite a number of people apply. They do not all make it through. The focus has to shift from a weeding-out approach to one asking whether we can facilitate the entry of people into the service. In addition, the maximum age of entry was increased to 29 years for general service recruits, cadets, apprentices and certain specialists, and we are looking at that again. An extension of service limits for the Defence Forces as a whole applies to Naval Service able seamen and leading seamen and, on an interim arrangement, for petty officers.

To bolster further efforts, a specialist external company has recently been engaged to validate and assess the Defence Forces' current recruitment process and to identify possible opportunities for improvement of the current process. The initial focus is on the Naval Service. A marine recruitment specialist company has also been recently engaged to target individuals with the particular skills and expertise required by the Naval Service. The Government has also introduced a range of financial and non-financial retention measures, which, for the Naval Service, specifically include the seagoing service commitment scheme, which is aimed at retaining experienced personnel and incentivising seagoing duties. A seagoing naval personal tax credit of €1,500 has been extended into 2023, and that will continue. There has also been significant progress on pay, as I outlined with the starting rates, and there is scope for further income from duty allowances and operations such as Operation Irini. The specific recruitment and retention measures for the Naval Service are in addition to the wider benefits of membership of the Defence Forces. These include generous annual leave allowances; access to a public service pension scheme; opportunities for career progression; fully funded opportunities to continue in education to gain professional and academic qualifications; access to a range of primary medical care and dental care; and, as of 1 September, private secondary medical care to all enlisted personnel, which is a very significant additional support to members of the Defence Forces and the Naval Service. Those are consultant-led services and they will have access to private treatment. Our immediate focus is on stabilising the numbers in the Naval Service and thereafter increasing capacity to increase the numbers of personnel.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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All I can say is it is great to have the Tánaiste here. He can speak for ten minutes and he will not be interrupted.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I probably would not interrupt my boss, to be honest with the Senator. I am sure the Senator appreciated getting a comprehensive answer.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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Absolutely, I appreciate the comprehensive response by the Tánaiste. It is appropriate to the question. The Tánaiste outlined where we are going regarding the measures and what is happening on the ground.

We are at the lowest level, probably since the 1970s, of ability for our ships to operate in the ocean. I realise it is a multi-agency approach. I take that on board. When does the Tánaiste think we will have an increase in the complement out at sea? I am not even asking about a full complement. We have two of our nine vessels out at present, which is a significantly low figure. When will we be in a scenario in which we have if not the full complement out at sea, then let us say half the complement out at sea?

I mentioned the two vessels we bought from New Zealand. What is the plan for them to be in active service? There were purchased for €26 million, which is a significant cost. They came in last May. Can we get a sense from the Tánaiste of when he believes they will take active service?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Those two new vessels are further evidence of the Government's commitment to investment in the Naval Service and in capacity and capability more generally across the Defence Forces. The C295s that have been ordered, one of which has come in, give a far greater maritime surveillance capacity to the Air Corps as well as a potential strategic airlift capacity. The investments are in train.

The Chief of Staff, working with the flag officer, is working on operational maximisation of the existing staff in terms of deployment. That work is under way. That is one element to it. The other, of course, is recruitment and retention initiatives.

A significant number of measures have been taken but they are not yet impacting to the degree that I would like on recruitment numbers. There has been some improvement but not at the level that we require.

I have also asked for a radical look at how we recruit the specialists that are required in the engine room and in terms of the technical and technological skills that are required to enable ships to go to sea. That has been an issue, in terms of both recruitment and retention, which has been examined.

Until those issues improve, we are not in a position to be precise in terms of how many vessels we can deploy with confidence. There is an issue around the operational optimisation of our existing staff to see what we can do to put ships out at sea.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste for coming to Seanad Éireann today.