Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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98. To ask the Minister for Defence to indicate the extent to which the strength of the Defence Forces at Army, Navy and Air Corps level has fluctuated in the past four years; the extent to which numbers remain within projections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43727/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table. In relation to the figures in the table, the serving strength figures for 2013 and 2014 are the Whole Time Equivalent strengths of Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. The fluctuation in strength is based on the serving strength at the end of the preceding year. The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising of 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service.

Targeted recruitment has been, and is currently, taking place so as to maintain the level of 9,500 personnel and to ensure the ongoing deployable capacity of the Defence Forces on operations. To this end, a new General Service Recruitment competition was launched in March 2014. Recruitment from the panels established under this competition commenced on 18 August, 2014. Of the 441 Recruits enlisted to the Permanent Defence Force (both Army and Navy) since then 385 remain in training. There are 37 cadets in training and 15 Apprentice Aircraft Technicians have been recruited to the Air Corps.

Targeted General Service recruitment will continue in 2015 from the recruitment panels formed from the current competition. It is planned that these panels will remain in place until they are exhausted in 2015. With the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, I intend to retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks assigned by Government both at home and overseas.