Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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110. To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to engage in further recruitment to the cadets corps of the Permanent Defence Forces in addition to the 20 who have already been recruited; if some of those who have been selected as being suitable and are on a waiting list will be facilitated in the near future; the likely timescale for further recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36246/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The 2014 Cadetship Competition for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service has been conducted and 39 Cadetships are being awarded, comprising of 20 Army to include 2 Equitation School, 9 Air Corps and 10 Naval Service Cadetships. The intake of Cadets into the Permanent Defence Force is normally carried out on an annual basis taking into consideration the operational requirements of the Defence Forces and the resource envelope allocated to Defence. The selection of Cadets following the 2014 competition has been finalised and offers of Cadetships have recently issued. As there is only one intake of Cadets each year candidates are not placed on a waiting list, but should they continue to fulfil all the eligibility criteria they may re-apply for the Cadetship Competition in subsequent years. It is too early at this stage to say if there will be such a requirement for a further intake of Cadets in 2015.