Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Defence the way in which the closure of the apprentice school has impacted on the performance of the Defence Forces; the way in which technical personnel are sourced; the estimated cost of re-establishing the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32025/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Army Apprentice School at the former Devoy Barracks, Naas was closed in September 1998. There were only 28 apprentices in the school at the time. The annual costs of running the Army Apprentice School were estimated at about £2.85 million in 1998. Therefore, the average cost of training each apprentice had reached a level of £100,000 per annum per apprentice. These levels of expenditure were quite clearly unsustainable. The closure has not impacted adversely on the Defence Forces. There are no proposals to re-establish an Army apprentice school.

As part of the reorganisation of the Defence Forces in the 1990s, the national Defence Forces Training Centre was established on the Curragh to serve as the main military training centre for the Defence Forces. Apprentices will continue to be recruited for specific trades and crafts within the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps as and when required in response to identified service and skill needs.

More generally, technical personnel are sourced either through in-house technical military training within the Defence Forces or by the "direct entry" recruitment of persons who are already technically qualified and proficient within the discipline or specialty concerned.

The internal military programme of training for enlisted personnel comprises the technician training scheme and the recruitment and training of apprentices as appropriate. The trainee technician scheme was introduced in 1999 and provides modern technical and technological training to persons who are already serving within the Permanent Defence Force in an enlisted but non-technical capacity. The scheme involves both "in house" training in Defence Forces establishments and outplacement to FÁS and recognised external third level centres of education such as regional institutes of technology for academic modules of courses. The more traditional format of apprentice training is now largely concentrated within the Air Corps Apprentice School at Baldonnel. Apprentices, like the trainee technicians, undergo a mixture of "on the job" training within the Defence Forces, FÁS training and external academic modules leading to recognised qualifications. For both groups, therefore, the programme structure provides "on the job" training within the Defence Forces coupled with "off the job" external provision of academic and other specialist training by regional institutes of technology, the regional technical colleges and FÁS. In general terms, only very specialised training, which is not available externally from civil sources, is now provided directly by the Defence Forces themselves.

The distinct and different technical training and apprenticeship needs of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service are all kept under regular review by the appropriate military authorities. The types of training to be provided to selected enlisted personnel under the trainee technician scheme, and the needs for apprentice recruitment, are determined by the particular skills requirements of the Defence Forces over time. There are also a small number of civilian technical staff who work with the Defence Forces as civilian employees of the Department.