Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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54. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the numbers of members of the Defence Forces who must rely or relied on family income supplement to survive in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23266/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The circumstances surrounding an application for Family Income Supplement, or indeed any other scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection, is a private matter between the applicant and the Department of Social Protection. I am, therefore, not aware of the eligibility of individual members of the Permanent Defence Force to receive such allowances, or the total numbers of Defence Force members that may be in receipt of this financial support.

In terms of remuneration going forward, the new Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC), published their Report on 9 May 2017, the Government intends to initiate negotiations on a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement ahead of Budget 2018 considerations. Future remuneration of Defence Forces personnel will be dealt with within this process.