Written answers
Tuesday, 14 June 2022
Department of Defence
Defence Forces
John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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906. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the maximum and current strength levels of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29655/22]
John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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907. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the maximum and current strength levels of the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29656/22]
John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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910. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces by rank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29659/22]
John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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911. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces who are serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29660/22]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 906, 907, 910 and 911 together.
The following table details the requested current strength details, as at 30 April 2022, along with the corresponding establishment strength.
Current Strength (WTE) | Establishment | |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent Defence Force | 8,297 | 9,500 |
| Army | 6,714 | 7,520 |
| Air Corps | 730 | 886 |
| Naval Service | 853 | 1,094 |
Of the 8,297 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel, 586 were female. The requested breakdown of this female strength, by rank, is as follows:
| OFFICER | LT GEN | MAJ GEN | BRIG GEN | COL | LT COL | COMDT | CAPT | LT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 50 | 52 | |
| OTHER RANKS | SM | BQMS | CS | CQMS | SGT | CPL | PTE | CADET |
| 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 67 | 104 | 232 | 5 |
As at 30 April 2022, there were 560 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel serving overseas, of which 36 were female.
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 is ongoing to conduct a survey to identify any impediments to the advancement of women in the Permanent Defence Force.
Furthermore, the work of the Commission on the Defence Forces included, inter alia, consideration of gender, recruitment and retention matters. Following relevant consultation, I will revert to Government with a proposed response to the Commission's recommendations and a high-level action plan, which will set out proposed timelines and oversight arrangements for its implementation.
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