Written answers

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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637. 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. [63568/22]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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638. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current number of women in the Defence Forces who are currently serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63569/22]

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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639. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of women members of the Defence Forces who left in 2022, by month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63570/22]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 637 to 639, inclusive, together.

As at 30th November 2022, 28 of the 569 female Permanent Defence Force personnel were serving overseas.

The requested breakdown of the total female strength of 569, by rank, is as follows:

OFFICER LT GEN MAJ GEN BRIG GEN COL LT COL COMDT CAPT LT
0 0 1 0 2 57 49 52
OTHER RANKS SM BQMS CS CQMS SGT CPL PTE CADET
0 0 7 12 54 97 224 14

As of 30th November 2022, 59 females were discharged from the PDF, as follows:

Month Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov
Discharges 2 6 14 3 4 4 5 2 9 7 3

Typically, discharges include personnel who leave 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.

In line with current policies and commitments, and the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, a number of initiatives are in place with a view to increasing the level of female participation in the Defence Forces. Additionally, special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework.

I am committed to maximising recruitment and retention of personnel, both male and female, to maintain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles, to undertake the tasks laid down by Government.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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640. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current strength of the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63571/22]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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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 30 November 2022, is set out below:

Service Total Effective Personnel
Army Reserve 1,423
Naval Reserve 108
First Line Reserve 279

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

A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to the Report was approved last year with some specific initiatives including 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.

A high-level implementation plan to drive forward the recommendations from the Report, including those relating to the Reserve Defence Force, is currently in the final stages of preparation.

The Deputy may also be aware that a recruitment drive for the RDF was launched last year on 21 March 2022, which was advertised across a number of media channels. Recruit Liaison Officers across the RDF conducted local recruitment to attract applicants for this campaign.

I am advised that over 1000 applications were received during this window, which is very encouraging.

To date, 88 RDF recruits have been inducted into the Defence Forces and the processing of eligible applicants is continuing. The military authorities have advised me that once this body of work is completed, consideration will be given to the launch of a further recruitment campaign in mid 2023.

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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641. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of women in the Reserve Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63572/22]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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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 30 November 2022, the effective female strength of the RDF is 199 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 general recruitment framework, including a Female Recruitment Standing Committee reporting on initiatives, 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 attend events 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.

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.

The Report from the Commission on the Defence Forces included a number of recommendations relating to gender and diversity in the Defence Forces. A High Level Action Plan (HLAP) that sets out the Government’s response to this report was also 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. In addition, a further recommendation that the Defence Forces Women's network be extended to members of the Reserve has already been implemented.

I would reiterate that the Government remains fully 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 Force activities.

Photo of Thomas GouldThomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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643. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if childhood epilepsy, for which no medication is currently required, renders an applicant unfit for the Defence Forces; and the period of time that a person must be medicated and seizure free to progress with an application. [63921/22]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, working in the Defence Forces is a demanding career which places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals, exposing them to a unique range of challenging environments. In these circumstances, it is vital that the health profile of personnel be such as to ensure that operational capability and effectiveness are not compromised.

Candidates applying for positions in the Defence Forces are required to meet specific criteria, which include medical standards, for military service, as laid down in Defence Forces Regulations, made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended and extended. These requirements are based on the professional advice of the Medical Corps and having regard to the nature of the job, the duties of military service and the training exercises undertaken by members of the Defence Forces.

To this end, I wish to advise the Deputy that in line with Director of Medical Branch Instructions, along with Maritime and UN regulations and policies, that in the case of any diagnosis of epilepsy, a ten-year seizure free and medication free rule applies.

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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644. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will address matters in correspondence (details supplied); the options that are open to a person in this instance; if this person can appeal this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63955/22]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, working in the Defence Forces is a demanding career which places unique physical and psychological demands on individuals, exposing them to a unique range of challenging environments. In these circumstances, it is vital that the health profile of personnel be such as to ensure that operational capability and effectiveness are not compromised.

Candidates applying for positions in the Defence Forces are required to meet specific criteria, which include medical standards, for military service, as laid down in Defence Forces Regulations, made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended and extended. These requirements are based on the professional advice of the Medical Corps and having regard to the nature of the job, the duties of military service and the training exercises undertaken by members of the Defence Forces.

In relation to this specific case, the Deputy may be aware that the applicant in question applied for the Naval Service Reserve in March 2022. The applicant was interviewed in April 2022 and fitness tested in October 2022, before undergoing a mandatory medical assessment in November 2022.

A Defence Forces Medical Officer, as a Military Medicine Practitioner, determined that the applicant in question did not meet the medical requirements necessary to enlist. Under Defence Forces Regulations, only Defence Forces Medical Officers are permitted to determine an individual’s medical suitability for induction into the Defence Forces.

I further wish to advise the Deputy that the decision taken in this case, was made in line with the Director of Medical Branch Instructions, along with Maritime and UN regulations and policies.

I am advised that the applicant may appeal the decision in their case through recruitment@defenceforces.ie if they wish to do so.

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