Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which adequate provision is being made for training opportunities throughout the Defence Forces in respect of the Permanent Defence Forces and the Reserves in line with international standards and requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25462/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The primary function of training in the Defence Forces is to develop and maintain the capabilities necessary to enable them to fulfil the roles laid down by Government.

The Defence Forces conduct training under four broad categories, namely; Leadership, Skills, Career, and Collective. Leadership Training is the medium through which the Defence Forces ensure that personnel are prepared for exercising command authority across the full range of military functions both at home and overseas in international operations. Skills Training ensures that Defence Forces personnel have the requisite individual, specialist, and crew skills. Career Training, and education, provides the organisation with the necessary pool of leaders and commanders at all levels. Collective Training allows military personnel to use their individual, crew, specialist and career training together, to develop integrated and coherent combat forces.

The scheduling of training in the Defence Forces, including the Reserve, is underpinned by an analysis of training required to meet operational output and capability development requirements.

The Defence Forces seek to constantly benchmark training across all three arms of the organisation against best military and academic practice. Military best practice is ensured by implementing a policy of standardisation that is in line with EU and NATO/Partnership for Peace partners. Academic best practice is ensured by benchmarking courses through accreditation under the National Framework of Qualifications which is validated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland.

The Defence Forces deliver military programmes and modules meeting national and international standards and engage with external educational institutions in order to facilitate organisational learning. This engagement with national and international educational institutions, military and civilian, aims to ensure that the Defence Forces retain currency with regards to best international practice and employ all relevant modern training methods.

I remain committed to ensuring that all personnel of the Defence Forces continue to be trained to appropriate standards.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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282. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of women in each branch of the Defence Forces; the extent to which these numbers have fluctuated or are likely to so do; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25463/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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295. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Army in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25476/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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296. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Naval Service in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25477/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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297. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of persons by gender who have retired from the Air Corps in the course of the past 12 months; the degree to which replacement has been effected; the number of persons recruited in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25478/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 282, 295, 296 and 297 together.

It is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces in order to increase capability and to better reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve.

As of 31st March 2021, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 8,524 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) personnel. Of this some 598 personnel or 7% were female, broken down as follows:

- Army: 493 female personnel

- Air Corps: 40 female personnel

- Naval Service: 65 female personnel

The following table details the number of personnel inducted and discharged, by Branch and gender, from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021.

Personnel discharge for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges. Discharges also include trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.

The Government remains committed to returning to, and maintaining the agreed strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel as set out in the White Paper on Defence (2015). In order to achieve this target, as well as a broad range of retention measures, there is significant on-going recruitment.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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283. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which Naval Service and Air Corps services are augmented on an annual basis with particular reference to the extent to which the European Union relies on the Defence Forces here to provide coastal surveillance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25464/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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285. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the degree to which the Naval Service continues to be augmented in order to meet any existing or emerging requirements on Ireland’s coasts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25466/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 285 together.

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.

The resources available to the Defence Forces to carry out their operational commitments are kept under constant review and future equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and equipment priorities planning process.

The allocation of €1.07 billion for the Defence Sector for 2021, an increase of over €32 million on 2020, emphasises the importance attached by the Government to Defence and will provide the Defence Forces with modern and essential equipment to fulfil all roles assigned by Government and the EU.

The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main day to day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union it also carries out a number of other non-fishery related tasks.

The Air Corps operate a fleet of fixed and rotary wing aircraft which provide military support to the Army and Naval Service, together with support for non-military air services such as Garda air support, air ambulance, fisheries protection and the Ministerial Air Transport Service.

I am satisfied the all branches off the Defence Forces remain adequately resourced to fulfil all roles as assigned by government. This includes the agility of all three services, Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, to adapt to the specific tasking on hand at any given time, whether that be fisheries protection, overseas deployment, EAS or Aid to the Civil Power. The multifaceted nature of the role of the Defence Forces in Irish life is an aspect of our Military that I am particularly proud of.