Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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646. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will explain the appeal process for an applicant who applied to enlist with the Army cadetship service and was refused on mental health grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1170/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Military Authorities have informed me that an applicant to a Defence Forces Cadetship, who is assessed to have not met the medical requirements/standards, can appeal the original finding to another Defence Forces Medical Officer. The reviewing Medical Officer will review the original finding and provide their professional medical opinion, be it that the original medical finding/assessment is agreed with or not. The appeal is requested through the Cadetship Competition board secretary or through the recruitment@defenceforces.ie email. The appeal must be requested when the competition is still open. The applicant is then informed of the reviewed assessment result.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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647. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if any personnel from the Naval Service or Air Corps went to the United States for specialist military training in 2022. [1220/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the military authorities that no Naval Service personnel attended any specialist military training in the United States in 2022. Six (6) Air Corps personnel attended pilot flight training in Alabama and Florida with the United States Air Force from November 2021 until June 2022.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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648. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will consider allowing all trained technicians to extend their retirement age beyond 60 years, given the level of training acquired in this field. [1453/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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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”. 

There are no plans at this stage to extend the mandatory retirement ages for enlisted personnel beyond 60 years of age.