Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is acknowledged that my Department receives correspondence on a continuous basis from the named person. The correspondence has been addressed by way of reply appropriate to the individual issues raised by him. Some of the issues raised by him are beyond my policy brief as Minister for Defence and this person has been so advised. I am aware that there has also been correspondence between him and an Garda Síochána. His correspondence continues to be assessed for appropriate reply.

The Secretary General has met twice with the individual named. 

Arising from his recent interactions with the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services and on foot of inquires made by my Department, that Office has confirmed that the information provided to them will not require investigation by the United Nations. 

I have also requested a Senior Counsel to conduct an independent assessment of the actions taken by Officials in the Department of Defence and the military authorities on foot of correspondence received from the individual named. The outcome of the assessment will be notified to the Independent Review Group established for the purposes of investigating practices and procedures in place relating to dignity and equality in the Defence Forces.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 447, 448, 451, 452 and 453 together.

As at 28 February, 2022, there were 576 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel serving overseas, of which 37 were female.

On the same date, the strength of the

- PDF was 8,398 personnel (establishment strength 9,500)

- Army was 6,788  personnel(establishment strength 7,520)

- Air Corps was 743 personnel(establishment strength 886)

- Naval Service was 867 personnel(establishment strength 1,094)

Of the 8,398 PDF personnel, 595 were female. The requested breakdown of this female strength, by rank, is as follows: 

2 women were discharged in January 2022 and 6 in February.  Typically, discharges include personnel who left for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges and would also include any trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training. 

The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation. In addition, in the context of the White Paper on Defence, a specific project examining barriers to the progression of women in the PDF is ongoing.

Furthermore, the work of the Commission on the Defence Forces included, inter alia, consideration of gender, recruitment and retention matters.  The Commission’s report was published on 9 February 2022. The next stage in the process will involve careful consideration of the recommendations and in-depth discussion and inter-departmental consultation. Once all recommendations have been carefully considered and an approach discussed, I intend to bring a proposed response to the report’s recommendations and a high-level action plan to the government for consideration.