Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

378. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if a new general service recruitment campaign for the Air Corps will commence before the end of 2020. [24920/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The capacity of the Defence Forces toinduct and train recruits was severely impacted by the COVID-19 situation and the numbers inducted in 2020 are significantly below target at this point. Those aspects of the induction process that could be conducted remotely continued throughout the year.

Inductions/training have resumed, taking public health guidelines into account.

Inductions into the Air Corps are planned during the remainder of 2020, which will include Air Corps Cadets and Apprentices. General Service recruits are not normally inducted directly into the Air Corps but are filled, on transfer, by Army personnel.