Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 431 to 433, inclusive, 442, 443 and 446 to 448, inclusive, together.

As at 31 May, 2022, the latest date for which such figures are available, 33 of the 586 female Permanent Defence Force personnel were serving overseas.

The requested breakdown of the total female strength of 586, by rank, is as follows.

The table below details the number of females who, in each of the past 5 years, were inducted and discharged from the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) and the number of PDF female personnel who served overseas.

As of 31^stMay 2022, 26 females were discharged from the PDF, as follows.

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 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.

Current recruitment campaigns have an enduring requirement to reach out to females within the recruitment demographic via a variety of channels, including social media, sporting organisations and schools. The military authorities further advise that potential applicants from an ethnic background are included in the target demographic that the Defence Forces seeks to reach in regular campaigns and ongoing promotions through various channels.

Furthermore, the work of the Commission on the Defence Forces included, inter alia, consideration of diversity, recruitment and retention matters. I received Government approval on Tuesday, 12^thJuly, to move to Level of Ambition 2, as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces. Government also approved a High Level Action Plan which sets out the response of Government in relation to each of the 130 recommendations in the Commission's report.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is comprised of the First Line Reserve, the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). The Government remains absolutely committed to the advancement of the RDF. The White Paper on Defence is quite clear that there is a continued requirement to retain and develop the Reserve and the Government remains fully committed to this.

The strength of the Reserve Defence Force, as of 31 May 2022, is set out below.

The Deputy will be aware that the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, published last February, contains many detailed recommendations, including on the future structure and role of the RDF.

Following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, I announced that the Government has approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces.

This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission.

A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the recent report of the Commission on the Defence Forces has also been approved.

Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for the establishment of an Office of Reserve Affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces, including the Reserve Defence Force (RDF), in order to increase capability and to better reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve. As of 31 May 2022, the effective female strength of the RDF is 194 members.

In line with current policies and commitments, a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation in the Defence Forces. For example:

- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the generalrecruitment framework, including a Female Recruitment Standing Committee reporting on initiatives for 2022, with dedicated female recruitment teams proposed. In addition, a female specific "Always on" (constant targeting of the female demographic) campaign commenced in October 2021.

- The Defence Forces actively engage with schools to conduct career talks and regularly attendevents aimed at future career choices for schools.

- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are committed to gender equality and employ a gender perspective in the planning and execution of operations both at home and overseas and in all policies and regulations. Gender Advisors are available to all Brigades and Services and trained Gender Focal Points are deployed with all overseas units and ships in order to promote a gender perspective in operations.

- A Defence Forces Women's Network was established with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel at all levels of the organisation.

Over the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence, a number of projects will be progressed to ensure the development and promotion of strategies that continue to support increased female participation in the Defence Forces.

Initiatives in place to recruit individuals to the Reserve include supports provided to maximise RDF recruitment, including use of social media, promotion through the DF Press Office, outreach activities by RDF members, and the use of PDF exit interviews which contain information on applying to the RDF. In addition, a number of measures to streamline the recruitment and induction process for the RDF are in train and it is hoped that they will yield a positive outcome.

Finally, as the Deputy will be aware, the recently published Report from the Commission on the Defence Forces includes a number of recommendations relating to gender and diversity in the Defence Forces.

As the Deputy will be aware, following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, I announced that the Government has approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces.

A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the recent report of the Commission on the Defence Forces has also been approved.

Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for the establishment of an Office of Reserve Affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force.

The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is comprised of the First Line Reserve (FLR), the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). The combined effective strength of the AR and NSR, at year end, for the past five years is set out below.

The strength of the First Line Reserve, at year end, for the same period is as follows.

The Government remains committed to on-going recruitment in the RDF. I am very cognisant of the fact that the RDF strength level remains lower than the Establishment figure. However, I am aware of the many initiatives in place to recruit individuals to the Reserve. These include supports provided to maximise RDF recruitment, including use of social media, promotion through the DF Press Office, outreach activities by RDF members, and the use of PDF exit interviews which contain information on applying to the RDF. In addition, I'm advised by the Military Authorities that a number of measures to streamline recruitment and induction process for the RDF are in train and it is hoped that they will yield a positive outcome.

While the commitment to restoring the strength of the RDF is not in doubt, the same personnel and resources are utilised for both PDF and RDF recruitment. Given the competing recruitment demands at present, PDF recruitment is, and will remain a priority. However, RDF recruitment will continue to be progressed to the greatest extent possible.

Heretofore, there was no provision in the Defence Acts to allow RDF personnel to be deployed overseas. However, the Defence (Amendment) Act 2021 has been signed into law, which serves to update the Defence Legislation on the use of the RDF on a voluntary basis, on-island and overseas in support of the Permanent Defence Force.

The Deputy will be aware that the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, published last February, contains many detailed recommendations, including on the future structure and role of the RDF. As the Deputy will also be aware, following Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, I announced that the Government has approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces.

This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission.

A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the recent report of the Commission on the Defence Forces has also been approved.

Some specific initiatives include the immediate commencement of planning for the establishment of an Office of Reserve Affairs with the priority objective of developing a regeneration plan for the Reserve Defence Force.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government has approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission on the Defence Forces. The move to LOA2 will require an additional 2,000 personnel (civil and military) over and above the current establishment of 9,500. Work has already commenced on this with the recently announced recruitment campaign, ‘BE MORE’.

Ultimately, the costing of the additional numbers will be subject to detailed workforce planning. In that context, and commensurate with the associated levels of organisational change required, final, definitive costings are currently not available.