Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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846. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of promotional posts vacant in the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32981/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to maintaining a strength level of 9,500 personnel for the Permanent Defence Force. This comprises 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service personnel, as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, as at 31 May 2017 was 9,116 personnel, comprising 7,321 Army, 706 Air Corps and 1,089 Naval Service, whole time equivalent.

The following table outlines the promotional posts vacant within the Permanent Defence Force, by Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as at 31 May 2017.

The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of each of the three services.

In this regard, promotions are ongoing within the officer ranks in order to fill rank vacancies.

A new NCO promotion competition, to fill vacancies to the ranks of sergeants and above, is currently underway. Promotions from the order of merit lists from this competition will commence in the third quarter of 2017.

It is my intention that promotions will continue to be carried out within the resource envelope allocated to Defence.

PDF vacancies as at 31 May 2017