Written answers

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Department of Defence

Defence Forces Reserve

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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45. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the position regarding recruitment to the Reserve Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32092/17]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Government appreciates the service of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) and the White Paper on Defence is clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve. The White Paper on Defence confirms that the primary role of the Reserve is to augment the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) in times of crisis. In non-crisis situations, the main focus will be on training to prepare for this role. Recruitment to both the PDF and RDF continues to remain a priority in 2017. The last RDF General Service Recruitment Competition was launched in September 2015 and closed on the 31st December 2016. In total, 5,464 (including 726 females) applied for this competition.

Applicants from the 2015/16 competition continue to be processed and inducted once they satisfy all induction criteria. I am informed that security clearance delays remain a barrier to progressing applicants for induction and the delays in the competition stages negatively impact the resilience of the RDF panels. I have requested that these issues be considered with a view to improving the timeframe and I look forward to seeing an improvement in this matter.

The next RDF General Service Recruitment campaigns for both the Army Reserve and Naval Service Reserve will begin in late July 2017. The campaigns will run for several weeks post Leaving Certificate with a view to inducting successful applicants at Easter and in Summer 2018 for camp participation. To-date in 2017, there have been 49 inductions to the RDF. A total of 80 inductions took place in 2016.

I remain committed to increasing recruitment to the PDF and RDF. In the context of both finite resources and personnel, it is necessary to strike an appropriate balance in terms of PDF and RDF recruitment, so as to deliver the desired effects of maintaining the capacity of the Defence Forces to undertake all roles assigned to it by Government.

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