Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will review the structures and organisation of the Defence Forces with particular reference to the security needs of the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5146/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government. The report of the Commission was published on 9th February 2022.  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.

In July last year Government approved a High-Level Action Plan in response to the Commission report.  As part of this, approval was given for 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 Principle, Further Evaluation or Revert.

There are a number of recommendations contained in the report which may impact on the structure of the Defence Forces including that the structure of the Army be reviewed, and in that context, the disposition of Units across the Defence Forces may be considered. 

The recommendation, that the structure of the Army be reviewed, was identified as an Early Action in the High-Level Action Plan. 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 the future structure and organisation of the Defence Forces.

Another of the Early Actions identified is the commencement of the Strategic Defence Review.  This review is the second in the cycle of reviews as proposed in the White Paper on Defence and follows the 2019 White Paper Update.  These cycles of reviews are to give assurance that defence policy remains up to date and relevant to the changing circumstances and bring certainty and regularity to defence planning.

As set out in the White Paper these reviews will be based on an updated security assessment and a fresh consideration of the implications of this assessment for policy requirements, associated tasks, capability development and resourcing.

The first stage of this review will be a security environment analysis to be conducted by an interdepartmental working group which is due to commence shortly.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will engage with representative bodies of the Defence Forces to discuss concerns regarding patrol duty allowances, the Naval Service tax credit and the sea service commitment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4805/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As Tánaiste and Minister of Defence, I look forward to meeting with the Representative Associations for the Permanent Defence Force and engaging with them on matters that fall within the scope of representation. This could include the matters that the Deputy has raised, should the Representative Associations indicate a wish to discuss these matters.  

I would like to assure the Deputy that work is currently ongoing within my Department on these matters.

Firstly, on Patrol Duty Allowances, the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommended that there should be a review of existing sea-going allowances to consider their replacement with less complex sea-going duty measures. Work has been ongoing on this by my Department in consultation with the Defence Forces management. A review has been conducted and a submission has been made to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The review took into account material that the Representative Associations had submitted previously in relation to an increase in Patrol Duty Allowance. Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this matter.

Secondly, a sea-going naval personnel tax credit was introduced in the 2019 Finance Act, to incentivise sea going duties for members of the Naval Service. The tax credit was initially available as a temporary measure in the 2020 year of assessment only. It has since been extended to the 2023 tax year.

Finally, a sea-going service commitment scheme for Naval Service personnel came into effect from 1 January 2021. The Scheme is aimed at retaining experienced personnel and incentivising those personnel to undertake sea going duties. The scheme was initially open to applications from Officers and enlisted personnel in the Naval Service, with a minimum of three years’ service, serving on board a Naval Vessel at enlisted ranks of Able Rating or above, or Officer ranks of Ensign and above. Following a review of the Scheme in 2022, the eligibility criteria to apply has been reduced from 3 years to 1 year's service.

My Department continues to engage with the Representative Associations on all matters within the scope of representation via the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. This is the key avenue available for the Representative Associations to raise matters of concern to their members with my Department.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Conciliation & Arbitration Scheme is the mechanism for addressing industrial issues within the Defence sector. In line with the Irish model of industrial relations, it is a voluntary mechanism which provides structures for management and staff to engage on collective issues that may arise. These structures have helped to maintain positive industrial relations in the sector over a number of years.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence how it is proposed to enhance Ireland’s defence capability in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5136/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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A key priority for me as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the capabilities of the Defence Forces are maintained, developed and enhanced in order to ensure that the Defence Forces can carry out all of the roles assigned to it by Government, as set out in the White Paper on Defence. 

Capability priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered as part of the capability development planning processes which include both a five-year Equipment Development Plan and a Built Infrastructure Programme.

The Equipment Development Plan recognises the need to maintain and upgrade military capabilities having regard to emerging priorities, operational requirements and changes in technology. This is an ongoing iterative process. There are a number of defensive equipment acquisition and upgrade projects that are well underway and which will continue to be delivered during 2023. These include the midlife upgrade of the Army's fleet of 80 Mowag Piranha III Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicles. 90% of the fleet have now been upgraded and the programme is due to be completed this year. Furthermore, earlier this month saw the completion of the delivery of an additional 30 Armoured Utility Vehicles for the Army while the roll out of thermal imaging systems to the Cavalry Corps is ongoing with a similar deployment to the Infantry Corps due in 2023.

In relation to air-based capability, the programme for the supply of two C295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft for the Air Corps is well underway with delivery of the aircraft expected later this year. These larger more capable aircraft will replace the two CASA 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft which will enhance maritime surveillance and provide a greater degree of utility for transport and cargo carrying tasks. An order was also placed recently for a C295 Military Transport Aircraft, and this will be delivered in 2025.

In relation to the Naval Service, two Inshore Patrol Vessels have been purchased from the New Zealand Government and it is expected that these vessels will be transported to Ireland by mid-2023 following the completion of a programme of works. Meanwhile, a further priority for 2023 is to make further progress with the new Multi Role Vessel (MRV) project. Marine advisors have been appointed to support this procurement project, with work underway that will inform a public tender competition in due course. Meanwhile, the programme of works for the midlife refit and upgrade of LÉ Niamh is ongoing.

The Built Infrastructure Programme is a rolling five-year Plan for the period 2022-2027 with over €300m in building investment planned over the next five years. The Plan is iterative in nature thus ensuring that it remains relevant, and that investment is targeted where most needed. A midterm review of the Plan was recently completed by my Department and the Defence Forces to ensure that it continues to reflect current operational requirements. The Plan provides a blueprint for investment in the Defence Forces' built infrastructure over a multi annual timeframe and is designed to modernise and enhance the training, operational and accommodation facilities of the Defence Forces. There are currently over €100m worth of projects underway at different stages of development, many of which will come to fruition in 2023. This level of expenditure will continue to increase as the Programme is implemented.

The primary function of training and education in the Defence Forces is to develop and maintain the necessary capabilities. The Defence Forces deliver in-house military training programmes and modules meeting national, EU and international standards. They also engage with external educational institutions and international educational institutions, military and civilian. All training, internal and external, is provided to ensure that the Defence Forces are in line with best international practice and this will continue throughout 2023. 

Following the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022, which included a wide range of recommendations in relation to capabilities and funding, the Government approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission. This will result in the Defence budget rising to €1.5 billion, at January 2022 prices, by 2028. This represents the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State and will allow for significant increased investment in capability development over the coming years.  The budget for 2023 includes an increase of €67m over the 2022 budget for Defence and provides an almost 25% increase in Capital funding. This is a demonstration of the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security challenges.

Finally, allied to this, a key recommendation made by the Commission called for the immediate establishment of a top-down capability development planning process through the creation of a new permanent civil-military structure. This recommendation was accepted by Government last July. Since then, significant work to establish a new permanent civil-military Branch within my Department has been undertaken and the new Branch is now being established and will commence capability development work this year.