Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Defence the position in relation to proposals for an officer's course for non-commissioned officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38120/06]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Defence the progress in consultations with the Defence Forces' representative associations regarding the commissioning from the ranks competition due to be held shortly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38114/06]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 67 together.

Significant progress has been made recently in implementing schemes to enable more commissioning from the ranks. The revised cadetship competition is now seen as the primary means of commissioning from the ranks. The cadetship competition has been revised to increase the maximum entry age to 28 and to award bonus marks to candidates with previous experience in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) or Reserve Defence Force (RDF). Results for the 2006 cadetship competition were encouraging with 13% of PDF and 8% of RDF applicants being successful in obtaining cadetships as against 4% of "civilian" candidates.

Consultations with the representative associations are ongoing regarding the conditions for an internal Commissioning From the Ranks competition, which it is intended to hold in the coming months. This competition will provide an opportunity for enlisted personnel who have passed the cadet entry age to compete for entry on a potential Officers Course and ultimately, a commission. The outcome of this competition will inform policy on the issue of similar future competitions.