Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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405. To ask the Minister for Defence the number of persons that have been recruited into the Army as a result of the most recent recruitment process; the date on which applications closed for same; if persons who have been given their number of the list and have gone through the full process will be called in numerical order; the expected numbers that will be recruited into the army for the remainder of 2013 and for 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28626/13]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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406. To ask the Minister for Defence the number of persons that have been recruited into the Naval Service as a result of the most recent recruitment process; the date on which applications closed for same; if persons who have been given their number on the list and have gone through the full process will be called in numerical order; the expected numbers that will be recruited into the navy for the remainder of 2013 and for 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28628/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together.

Following on from the last General Service Recruitment campaign in 2012 a total of 539 General Service Recruits were enlisted in the Permanent Defence Force, of which 418 were enlisted in the Army, and 121 in the Naval Service. The application phase of these competitions closed on 22 April 2012.

I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, at 30 April 2013, the latest date for which details are available, was 9,163 comprising 7,355 Army, 780 Air Corps and 1,028 Naval Service personnel. This is against the stabilised strength for the Permanent Defence Force of 9,500. In the context of the current strength being below the agreed stabilised strength, it is my intention that targeted recruitment will take place, within the resource envelope allocated to Defence, from the existing 2012 General Service Recruitment panels in the Autumn.

The intention is to call persons as per their numerical order on current panels. However, due to the passage of time since the last intake of recruits some stages in the recruitment process such as medical examination, physical fitness testing and Garda Síochána Security Clearance which are time dependant will have to be completed again.

No decisions have yet been made with regard to recruitment in 2014.