Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will review the decision to disband the Fourth Western Brigade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34569/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Arising from the comprehensive review of expenditure in 2011, the Government decided to stabilise the strength ceiling of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) at 9,500 personnel. The three Brigade structure then in place had originally been designed in the 1990s, when the strength ceiling of the PDF was 11,500 personnel. Clearly, at a strength ceiling of 9,500 personnel, this structure was no longer viable.

In this context, the then Minister for Defence initiated a major reorganisation of the Defence Forces encompassing the consolidation of three under-strength my Brigades into two full strength Brigades. This was to ensure that within the revised strength ceiling, the operational effectiveness of the Permanent Defence Force was optimised in order to fulfil all roles assigned by Government.

Key aspects of the reorganisation included the consolidation of under-strength units into a smaller number of full strength Units, a reduction in the number of headquarters and the associated re-deployment of personnel from administrative and support functions to operational Units.

I am satisfied that the recent reorganisation of the Defence Forces has maintained the operational capacity of the Defence Forces to the greatest extent possible within the available resource envelope. It has allowed the Permanent Defence Force to continue to fulfil all roles assigned by Government. This remains a key focus for the future.