Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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688. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on the statements made by an organisation (details supplied) to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on 25 May 2021 that the Army is having significant difficulties with the retention of personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30839/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government has fully acknowledged the recruitment and retention issues which have impacted operational capacity of the Defence Forces over recent years.

In response, a range of actions have been progressed to address these issues. The report of the Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC) on retention and recruitment in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) contained a wide range of recommendations to address retention and recruitment difficulties and these have been progressed through the High Level Implementation Plan "Strengthening Our Defence Forces".

Immediate benefits included a 10% increase in Military Service Allowance; the restoration to pre-Haddington Road levels of certain allowances and the restoration of premium rates for certain weekend duties. The Defence Forces have also received the benefits of Public Service Pay Agreements with further increases available under the new Pay Agreement, should it be accepted by the Defence Forces Representative Associations.

Work has also progressed on a broad range of non-pay measures in line with the PSPC recommendations, including in workforce planning; enhanced professional military education; bespoke leadership training; development of a mental health and wellbeing strategy; a review of barriers to extended participation in the PDF (including the possibility of extending retirement ages) and consideration of the provision of additional specialist posts in certain areas.

A Service Commitment Scheme, introduced in 2019, for pilots, has had a stabilising effect on Air Corp pilot numbers, with a further iteration of the Scheme scheduled in 2021. A Naval Service Sea-going Service Commitment Scheme was also introduced this year and a sea going naval personnel tax credit of €1,270, which was applied in the 2020 tax year, has been extended for the 2021 tax year, and has been increased to €1,500.

The introduction of schemes to allow for the re-commissioning of former Officers and the re-enlistment of former enlisted personnel of the PDF have also assisted in addressing particular skills gaps.

In addition, a range of direct entry specialist competitions have been initiated as a further means to fill critical positions. Furthermore, the upper age limit for both direct entry Naval Service and Air Corps technical appointments has recently been increased to 29 years.

The Programme for Government additionally contains a commitment to “ensure that all enlisted members of the Defence Forces have the same access to health care as officers currently do”, which is in addition to comprehensive range of primary and secondary medical care currently provided by the Defence Organisation, at no charge, to all members of the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF). A joint military-civilian working group has been established to progress this commitment.

There is no quick fix to the challenges facing the Defence Forces today. However, I remain fully committed to restoring the capacity of the Defence Forces. Whilst there has been significant work undertaken to date, it will take time to see the full effect of the measures introduced.