Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Defence if the proportion of resources allocated to the three branches of the permanent Defence Forces are equitable; and when it is intended to implement the recommendations of the TNS/MRBI Study Retention and Recruitment of Women in the Defence Forces. [27716/07]

Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The White Paper on Defence of February 2000 provided for a strength of 10,500 for the Permanent Defence Force, comprising some 8425 personnel in the Army, 930 in the Air Corps and 1,140 in the Naval Service, these figures being commensurate with the defined roles of the three branches.

The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces, which has been a key focus for me since my appointment to the Defence portfolio, has seen, and will continue to see, significant investment in the Air Corps, Naval Service and the Army. Major equipment projects have involved substantial expenditure across all areas including trainer aircraft and helicopters for the Air Corps, new ships for the Naval Service and a total of 80 Mowag Armoured Personnel Carriers for the Army. In addition a new tender competition has recently being initiated to cover a ship replacement programme for the Naval Service for the next ten years.

I am satisfied that the Defence Forces are well equipped for their day-to-day roles at home and overseas and that the proportion of resources allocated to the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is fair and well balanced across the three branches enabling them to fulfil their roles in an efficient and effective manner.

In relation to the TNS MRBI report on recruitment and retention of women, it should be remembered that, on balance, the results of the research are very positive. The report reveals that women serving in the Defence Forces have a positive attitude to their job with over 75% of respondents thinking that the Defence Forces is a good place to work and over 73% reporting that they enjoyed their job.

There are challenges in the report that we are continuing to address.

The Minister's commitment and that of the Chief of Staff to addressing issues around interpersonal contact is well known. The TNSMRBI research underlines the importance of this commitment into the future.

Work-life balance initiatives of term time and career breaks in addition to the statutory entitlements such as Parental Leave, Carer's Leave and Force Majeure Leave are available to all members of the Defence Forces.

The Minister is also committed to ensuring that other developments that emerge in the areas of family friendly policies generally will be reviewed positively to determine if they can be accommodated to the operational requirements of the Defence Forces.

Recruitment campaigns continue to emphasise the role of women in the Defence Forces as recommended by the Report. Focus groups looking at perceived barriers to career development and advancement of women in the Defence Forces have recently been set up.

I am determined that we should build on the positive issues arising from the report while continuing to address the challenges identified. The Defence Forces offers an interesting and challenging career to women as well as to men. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women in the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities.