Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of Project V1 - Review of Pay Structures in the High Level Implementation plan Strengthening our Defence Forces. [58283/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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All projects undertaken to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the Strengthening our Defence Forces Report under the High Level Implementation Plan, including Project V1 - Review of Pay Structures, have now been completed, or are being progressed as part of normal business.

The Project Management Office (PMO) managing that process has been stood down.

The Review of Pay Structures project was intended to examine pay structures in the Permanent Defence Force and to fall under the public service pay agreement “Building Momentum”. However, in the intervening period, one of the tasks set for the Commission on the Defence Forces was also to examine pay structures in the Permanent Defence Force. The Commission made a number of recommendations in that regard. Examination of these recommendations is taking place in the context of implementing that Report's recommendations.

In this context, the Deputy may be aware that my Department has recently implemented two of the pay-related recommendations of that Report, namely, that all personnel of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman rank will be paid the full rate of Military Service Allowance (MSA) applicable to the rank, while at the same time, the requirement for that cohort to ‘mark time’ for the first three years at that rank will be removed.

These measures will result in the pay rates (to include MSA) for the ranks of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman, in their first three years of service, starting at €36,418 in Year 1, rising to €37,788 in Year 2, and €39,050 in Year 3 of service.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he has seen the interim report by the independent review group into the allegations by a group known as the Women of Honour and others; if he intends to publish same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58290/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I am committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces is able to carry out their duties in a workplace underpinned by dignity and equality. The Judge-led Independent Review Group, established last January by me, following Government approval, is examining the systems, policies and procedures for dealing with issues relating to bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces as well as the prevailing workplace culture.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference the Group will:

- Advise me on whether the current legislative frameworks, policies, procedures and practices for addressing incidents of unacceptable behaviour in the workplace are effective;

- Independently assess whether the pervading culture in the workplace is fully aligned with the principles of dignity, equality, mutual respect, and duty of care for every member of the Defence Forces and thirdly;

- Will provide recommendations and guidance on measures and strategies required to underpin a workplace based on dignity, equality, mutual respect, and duty of care for every member of the Defence Forces.

As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, this Review is a necessary and critical first step to address the need for a safe work environment for serving members with zero-tolerance for such unacceptable behaviour. The serving members of the Defence Forces expect nothing less.

I have received nine updates from the Independent Review Group including when they asked for a 4th member to assist in completing their work. This request was approved. In line also with the Terms of the Review, I have also been briefed via an Interim Report and at the request of the Group, this is not being published, as its work is not complete. It would be in-appropriate therefore, for me to discuss this Report.

I wish to add that the work of the Independent Review Group is entirely independent in keeping with the Terms of Reference. The Group have full independence and autonomy to undertake its body of work, under its Chair, Ms Justice Bronagh O’Hanlon.

I can assure the Deputy that the work of the Group is continuing and it is my understanding that the Final Report will be submitted to me before the end of the year in line with the Terms of Reference.

I wish to add that the Terms of Reference for the Review are wide-ranging and provide that Government may consider further work on receipt of the Independent Review findings.

I am eager for this work to conclude and would reiterate that the Final Report will be brought to Government, before being published.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on Project R4 - Barriers to extended participation in the PDF: Review of Mandatory Retirement Ages for Officers in the High Level Implementation plan Strengthening our Defence Forces. [58281/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Military life places unique demands on individuals and it is necessary that Defence Forces personnel are prepared to meet the challenges of all military operations. To this end, it is vital the age and health profile of personnel be such as to ensure that operational capability and effectiveness are not compromised in any way. For this reason compulsory retirement ages for ranks in the Permanent Defence Force are considerably lower than in other employments.

The White Paper on Defence (2015), provides that: “retirement ages and/or upper service limits of Defence Forces’ personnel of all ranks will continue to be kept under review and determined in accordance with key considerations such as manpower policy requirements, operational needs and international best practice”.

The Public Service Pay Commission report on recruitment and retention in the Permanent Defence Force (2019), included in the recommendations, the need to consider options to tackle barriers to extended participation in the Permanent Defence Force, including the possibility of extending retirement ages for members of the Permanent Defence Force.

A joint civil/military review of mandatory retirement ages of all ranks in the Permanent Defence Force has been conducted. The recommendations in the joint civil/military review requires consideration from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to implications on costs and pensions.

These matters, including the mandatory retirement ages for Commissioned Officers, will be considered further in the forum of an Inter-Departmental Working Group, which the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has established, to consider mandatory retirement ages and service limits for public service groups who have 'fast accrual' occupational pension arrangements.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the specific action his Department has taken in relation to the recruitment of aircraft technicians given the levels of vacancies that currently exist in the Air Corps and the buoyant Irish aviation market. [58289/22]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he is satisfied with the level of uptake on the current recruitment drive for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58421/22]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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55. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the current level of interest in starting a career in the Defence Forces in comparison to previous years, particularly among women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57486/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 37, 47 and 55 together.

The military authorities have advised that there are currently 147 Aircraft Technician vacancies and a robust training pipeline with 64 apprentices currently in training.In 2021 a new Direct Entry recruitment competition was introduced to complement the existing apprenticeship recruitment stream and this resulted in 3 personnel, who already possessed the necessary technical qualifications to operate as aircraft technicians, being inducted in 2021. 122 applications were received in 2022 and these are currently being processed.

This level of interest in joining the Defence Forces is reflected in the total applications across all competitions, averaging some 10,000 per year in 2020 and 2021 and some 7,000 being received by the end of October 2022, with further applications expected by year end.

The number of female applications accounted for some 12% of all applications received in both of the preceding years and to date in 2022. In line with current policies and commitments, a number of initiatives are already in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation and special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment.

My focus is on bringing the strength of the Defence Forces to the numbers required to meet the agreed level of ambition arising from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces. In addition to the "Be More" recruitment campaign that was launched this year, there are a number of other initiatives which are presently being implemented to counter current staffing challenges including:

- Commitment schemes in the Air Corps and Naval Service

- A special tax credit for seagoing Naval Service personnel

- Re-entry schemes for former personnel

- Ongoing recruitment, including direct entry competitions

- The ongoing review of the scope, and terms and conditions, of direct entry competitions to improve intakes

- Significant progress on pay within the Defence Forces arising from increases from recent pay agreements

The capacity of the Defence Forces to undertake the tasks assigned by Government continues to be carefully monitored to ensure that they retain their ability to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government, both at home and abroad.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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34. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the work of the independent review to examine the effectiveness of the policies, systems and procedures in place for dealing with bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Defence Forces; if the review group is on track to complete its work by end-2022; if the review group is carrying out an analysis on the number of Defence Forces members who have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements as a result of a legal settlement in respect of actions for sexual harassment, discrimination or bullying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58221/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I am committed to ensuring that every member of the Defence Forces is able to carry out their duties in a workplace underpinned by dignity and equality. The Judge-led Independent Review Group, established last January by me, following Government approval, is examining the systems, policies and procedures for dealing with issues relating to bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the Defence Forces, as well as the prevailing workplace culture.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference the Group will:

- Advise me on whether the current legislative frameworks, policies, procedures and practices for addressing incidents of unacceptable behaviour in the workplace are effective;

- Independently assess whether the pervading culture in the workplace is fully aligned with the principles of dignity, equality, mutual respect, and duty of care for every member of the Defence Forces and thirdly;

- Will provide recommendations and guidance on measures and strategies required to underpin a workplace based on dignity, equality, mutual respect, and duty of care for every member of the Defence Forces.

As I'm sure the Deputy will appreciate, this Review is a necessary and critical first step to address the need for a safe work environment for serving members with zero-tolerance for such unacceptable behaviour. The serving members of the Defence Forces expect nothing less.

I have received nine updates from the Independent Review Group including when they asked for a 4th member to assist in completing their work. This request was approved. In line also with the Terms of the Review, I have been briefed via an Interim Report and at the request of the Group, this is not being been published, as its work is not complete.

The Deputy will additionally be aware that the Terms provide that Government may consider further work on receipt of the Independent Review findings.

I wish to assure the Deputy also that the work of the Group is on target and it is expected that the Final Report will be submitted to me before the end of the year in line with the Terms of Reference.

As I have stated already, I am very eager for this work to conclude and would add that the Final Report will be brought to Government, before being published.

I wish to emphasise that the work of the Independent Review Group is entirely independent and the Group have full independence and autonomy to undertake its body of work, under its Chair, Ms Justice Bronagh O’Hanlon. The Terms of Reference, as agreed by Government are wide-ranging and underpin the body of work the Group is undertaking. I am very satisfied that those Terms have provided the Group with the leverage required, to carry out a full and comprehensive assessment of the systems, policies and procedures for dealing with unacceptable behaviour, as well as workplace culture, and make appropriate recommendations.

Separately, for the Deputy's awareness, the State Claims Agency (SCA) has advised that confidentiality agreements may be requested by the SCA or the Plaintiff. The SCA does not routinely request confidentiality agreements in relation to claims’ settlements but does so very occasionally when it deems it necessary and appropriate. Where it is requested by the Plaintiff, it is the SCA's practice to agree to enter into a confidentiality agreement.

The SCA has advised that the use of mediation to resolve claims has increased in recent years. The mediation process is entirely confidential between the parties. It is almost invariably the case in mediations that the mediator will ask the parties to sign an agreement attesting to the confidential nature of the mediation and it’s outcome.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if consideration is being given to a review of the structure of the Army as recommended in the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58383/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, and I, as Minister for Defence, welcomed the publication of the report of the Commission on 9th February last. The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.

On the 12th of July this year I brought to Government a High Level Action Plan and a Memo for Government both of which were approved. As part of this, Government approved a move over a six-year period to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission, which will entail funding increases to reach a defence budget of c. €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates process.

Implementation structures have been put in place encompassing an Implementation Oversight Group, a High-Level Steering Board and an Implementation Management Office (IMO) to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.

The High Level Action Plan also sets out all the recommendations contained within the report and designates a response of Accept, Accept in Principal, Further Evaluation or Revert. One of the early actions identified is a review of the structure of the Army, on foot of this the Military Authorities are progressing the establishment of an office of Army Force Design which will undertake the work required to give effect to this recommendation.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the timeframe for the selection of a new Army headquarters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58356/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, and I, as Minister for Defence, welcomed the publication of the report of the Commission in February. The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.

On the 12th of July this year I brought to Government a High Level Action Plan and a Memo for Government both of which were approved. As part of this, Government approved a move over a six-year period to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission, which will entail funding increases to reach a defence budget of c. €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates process.

Implementation structures have been put in place encompassing an Implementation Oversight Group, a High-Level Steering Board and an Implementation Management Office (IMO) to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.

The High Level Action Plan also sets out all the recommendations contained within the report and designates a response of Accept, Accept in Principal, Further Evaluation or Revert. There are a number of recommendations contained in the report which may impact on the structure of the Defence Forces. One such recommendation, that the structure of the Army be reviewed, was identified as an Early Action in the High Level Action Plan and Military authorities are progressing the establishment of an office of Army Force design which will undertake the work required to give effect to this recommendation. The Implementation Management Office is working on the production of a detailed implementation plan for the remaining recommendations which will include those which may assist with informing any decision about an Army headquarters.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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38. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views on reports that the number of personnel going AWOL in the Defence Forces will hit a ten-year high; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57623/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, absence without leave from the Defence Forces is a disciplinary matter provided for in Defence Forces Regulations and lies within the purview of the Chief of Staff.

The Defence Act 1954 (as amended) provides the principle statutory basis for the Court-Martial system, which administers military justice in the Irish Defence Forces. The Court-Martial system provides a mechanism for the enforcement of Military Law in the Defence Forces. Military Law consists of a system of rules and regulations contained in the Defence Act 1954 (as amended) (“the Act”) and Regulations, Instructions and Orders made under the authority of the Act.

The main purpose of Military Law is to regulate the behaviour of military personnel, having regard to the specific requirements and demands of military life, in order to ensure that the required standard of discipline is maintained at all times.

Members of the Permanent Defence Force are subject to Military Law at all times. Chapter II of Part V of the Act, provides for the various offences against Military Law for which persons subject to Military Law may be tried and punished by Courts-Martial.

These sections include many offences which are not offences under the ordinary criminal laws of the state, such as Absence Without Leave (Section 137). In effect this means that persons subject to military law, as well as being subject to the ordinary criminal law of the state, may be tried, convicted and sentenced by court-martial for a wide range of what are known as “military” offences.

Each absence is managed on a case by case basis by the appropriate military authority and requires a thorough investigation. It is not possible to accurately determine the current annual rate of absence until all reported instances of absence are investigated and any resulting disciplinary proceedings are concluded. Such investigation may result in some absences recorded during 2022 being discounted.

Based on the most recent data available, the military authorities have provided the following details of absence from 2013 to the end of September 2022 are as follows:

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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39. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on plans to develop primary radar systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57454/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In response to the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, Government approved the commencement of work on 38 early actions which were identified in a High Level Action Plan that was published last July. One of the 38 early actions is to: “Commence planning for military radar capabilities, including primary radar”.

I can confirm that work on this early action is underway and is being carried out by a project team comprising senior civil and military personnel. The team has initially focussed on looking at identifying the military radar requirements, followed by research into various delivery options across the domains, as well as approaches to provision that are utilised internationally. In this regard, a visit to another Member State has already taken place.

It is important to note, however, that the the requirements for delivery of military radar, across the various domains, including primary radar, are extremely complex and, clearly, this project will take some time to deliver.However, delivery has been prioritised by Government and, for this reason, part of next year’s increased capital allocation for Defence includes provision of funding for exploration of the identified need to develop a primary radar capability. As such, I am pleased to say that the funding is in place to deliver all aspects of the necessary planning, thus ensuring that the Government’s prioritisation of this project is fully supported by the necessary resources.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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40. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the increase in wages that has been put in place for non-commissioned Defence Force Members since June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57854/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A considerable number of measures positively impacting remuneration have been put in place for all members of the Defence Forces, to include enlisted personnel, since June 2020.

Referring specifically to the time-frame stated, starting in 2020 all public sector workers, a cohort which includes members of the Defence Forces, benefited from a 2% increase on annualised salaries from 1st October 2020 under thePublic Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020.

The following national pay deal, Building Momentum – A New Public Service Agreement 2021 – 2022, allowed for further pay increases over the lifetime of that agreement:

- A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 1% or €500, whichever was the greater, which came into effect on 1st October 2021.

- A general round increase in annualised basic salaries for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater on, 1st October 2022

In accordance with Chapter 2 of this agreement, the equivalent of a 1% increase in annualised basic salaries was allocated from 1^stFebruary 2022 to be used either as an across the board pay increase or as a Sectoral Bargaining Fund. While Officers voted for a general 1% increase across pay and allowances, PDFORRA representing non commissioned members, opted to use part of this increase for Sectoral Bargaining purposes.

After significant engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, a quantum of €373,023 was allocated for PDFORRA’s use as a sectoral bargaining fund. The process of allocating this funding to non-commissioned members is almost complete at this point in time. In finalising this process, PDFORRA identified lower paid personnel as cohorts who will benefit from the Sectoral Bargaining Fund. The application of funding here will, I hope, have the added effect of acting as a retention measure for current and future Defence Forces personnel, within the enlisted ranks.

In October of this year, Building Momentum was further extended until the end of 2023. This extension provides for a further 6.5 % increase over 2022 and 2023, to include the following:

- a 3% backdated pay-rise to 02 February 2022, which has been paid to members of the Defence Forces,

- A further 2% pay increase on 1^stMarch 2023, and

- 1.5% or €750, whichever is the greater, on 1^stOctober 2023.

Pensionable allowances in the nature of pay will also benefit from the above increases.

I would also like to draw the Deputy's attention to the implementation of the findings of the Technical Pay Groups 2-6 Review, sanctioned by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform on 26^thMay 2021. The purpose of the review, in the context of the agreement, was to rationalise existing technical pay arrangements and consider if the requirements could be met in a more cost effective manner. Approximately €967,869 has been paid out to date this year under this Review to non-commissioned members of the Defence Forces.

The Deputy may also be aware that my Department has recently implemented two of the pay-related recommendations of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces's Report, namely, that all personnel of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman rank will be paid the full rate of Military Service Allowance (MSA) applicable to the rank, while at the same time, the requirement for that cohort to ‘mark time’ for the first three years at that rank will be removed.

These measures will result in the pay rates (to include MSA) for the ranks of Private 3 Star/Able Seaman, in their first three years of service starting at €36,418 in Year 1, rising to €37,788 in Year 2, and €39,050 in Year 3 of service. My Department has also implemented other initiatives affecting remuneration in 2022, such as extending the Naval Service Sea Going Commitment Scheme and the Naval Service Tax Credit.

Finally, and in addition to the general round of pay increases awarded to public servants, members of the Permanent Defence Force have also benefited from the implementation of increases in Defence Forces allowances, as recommended by the 2019 report of Public Service Pay Commission. These included:

- A 10% increase in military service allowance,

- The restoration of a 10% cut applied to a number of Defence Forces allowances under the Haddington Road Pay Agreement

- The restoration of premium rates for weekend security duty allowances.

- The restoration of a service commitment scheme for pilots.