John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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329. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide details of any instances of near misses, or where safety reviews were carried out into incidents which occurred during live fire training exercises conducted by the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61690/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the military authorities that it was not possible to collate the required information within the timeframe available.  I shall provide the information to the Deputy once it becomes available.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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330. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the estimated cost in 2023 if the specialised instructor allowance was reinstated within the Defence Forces. [61881/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Specialised Instructors Allowance for Officers was bought out under the Public Service Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement), with the agreement of RACO. There was a negotiated buy-out, essentially, of that specialist instructor allowance under a pay round discussion and negotiation.

It is estimated that the cost of reinstatement would be in the region of €535,000 per annum, taking into account the impact of the 2022 Building Momentum Extension and depending on the numbers of officers to which any reintroduced allowance might apply.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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331. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence whether the Defence Forces Colour Vision Working Group established to review the colour vision requirements for joining the Defence Forces has completed its review; if a report has been presented to the Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62139/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Candidates applying for positions in the Defence Forces are required to meet specific criteria for military service, as laid down in Defence Forces Regulations, made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended and extended.

The vision standards required for entry to the Defence Forces, as provided for in Defence Force Regulations, include that applicants colour vision must be normal. The Defence Forces colour vision standard is defined by the ability to pass the Ishihara Colour Plates. This is a ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ test. It is universally accepted that the Ishihara Test is the ‘Gold Standard’ for the detection of all grades of colour vision deficiencies. To be accepted as an eligible candidate for entry into the Defence Forces, the applicant must have ‘normal results’. The only exception to this are applicants to the Defence Force Instrumentalists Stream.

The conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force, including the methodologies used for assessments, are subject to continuous review and modification having regard to the needs of the organisation and the development of best practices. Irrespective of a desire to increase the recruitment pool, health and safety concerns must be satisfied.

At present, all applicants must have normal colour vision to join the Defence Forces.

A Defence Forces Colour Vision Working Group was established to review the colour vision requirements for entry to the Defence Forces, including the potential for persons with functional grade 2 vision to serve. The military authorities have advised that due to a number of competing priorities, the Working Group has not yet concluded its deliberations and recommendations remain under review.

However, I will seek an update from the military authorities on when this body of work is expected to be concluded and I will duly update the Deputy.