Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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13. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there have been meetings between military authorities and his departmental officials in relation to reducing the level of, or abolishing, psychometric testing as an entry requirement to the Defence Forces since May 2016; if so, the number of meetings that took place; the person that initiated each of these meetings; the pretext under which the meetings took place; if minutes were taken at these meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35924/18]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there have been meetings between military authorities and his departmental officials with the company that provides psychometric testing to the Defence Forces; the purpose of these meetings; if minutes were taken at these meetings; the outcome of the meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35925/18]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if a decision has been made to reduce the level of, or to abolish, psychometric and-or colour blindness testing as an entry requirement to the Defence Forces; the independent expert advice sought and received in this regard; if the experience of other military forces was considered as part of this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35926/18]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if a decision has been made to reduce the level of, or to abolish, psychometric and-or colour blindness testing as an entry requirement to the Defence Forces; if an independent review will be undertaken to determine whether these decisions have potential negative impact on Defence Forces training standards, health and safety incidents and operational outcomes in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35927/18]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if applicants that failed psychometric testing and-or colour blindness testing were subsequently admitted to the Defence Forces; if so, the number of applicants accepted by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35928/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 17, inclusive, together.

The conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force, including the methodologies used for assessments, are subject to continuous review and modification having regard to the needs of the organisation and the development of best practices.

Psychometric testing and colour vision testing continue to form part of the induction and candidate assessment process. Following its introduction in 2012 for general service recruits, the military authorities have revised the approach to psychometric testing a number of times. During that time the Defence Forces engaged the services of various psychometric testing companies for the purposes of administering tests to the different inductions streams (General Service, Cadetships, Apprenticeships and Direct Entry Schemes). The result of a psychometric test is a factor in determining overall suitability for admission to the Permanent Defence Force.

The issue of colour vision deficiency is a complex one particularly in relation to ensuring a safe work environment. The Defence Forces continue to consider how they could support personnel, who have colour vision deficiency, in areas such as medical standards, career progression, career streaming and operational availability.

Senior civil and military management meet frequently to discuss different aspects of the recruitment process in order to ensure that the various processes are as efficient as possible and optimised to the needs of the Defence Forces.

Within this framework, Departmental officials and the military authorities have met with representatives of the company which currently provides psychometric testing to the Defence Forces. The purpose of this meeting was to enhance the understanding of the revised psychometric testing process. I am informed that no minutes of this meeting were circulated between the attendees.

The current recruitment and induction process is kept under on-going review to ensure it continues to effectively determine suitability for entry to the Defence Forces.