Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the action that he will take to assist the overholding residents of an area (details supplied) in close proximity to the Curragh camp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62598/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware it has been a long-standing policy to discontinue the historic provision of tied housing to Defence Forces personnel. This policy introduced in the late 1990s has been implemented on a gradual basis, sympathetic to the needs of those occupying these former Married Quarters, particular those persons who may be vulnerable.  It is not intended to reverse this long-standing policy.

The Deputy has not indicated the details of the Overholder in question, however, I can advise that my Department has made an offer of a Licence to all Overholders that would regularise their position.   My officials have also offered to liaise with the Local Housing Authority on their behalf, for reasons relating to GDPR, the Overholder's consent is required, and my officials have written to the Overholders on two occasions requesting same.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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132. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of personnel who have been reported as AWOL in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62599/22]

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 October 2022 are as follows:

I am advised that the above figures are representative of Defence Forces personnel who, during the reporting period, were initially recorded as absent by their administration office pending subsequent detailed investigation.