Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will commit to the restoration of the Western Brigade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21710/15]

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 re-organisation of the Defence Forces encompassing the consolidation of three under-strength Army 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 re-organisation 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 have comprehensively and conclusively answered this question on a number of occasions. The re-organisation has ensured that the PDF can continue to operate efficiently and effectively within a strength level of 9,500 PDF personnel. I am satisfied that the current structures optimise the capacity of the Permanent Defence Force to deliver the required operational outputs, within the available resources.