Written answers
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Department of Defence
Defence Forces
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of females who are currently in recruit training in each branch of the Permanent Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44666/23]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The military authorities have advised that, as of 12 October 2023, the following number of women were in General Service Recruit or Cadet training.
| - | Army | Air Corp | Naval Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service Recruit | 11* | 0 | 3 |
| Cadets | 15 | 3 | 1 |
- Includes one DFSM Instrumentalist
The Government remains 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 Forces activities. It is also Government policy to increase female participation rates at all levels of the Defence Forces in order to increase capability and to better reflect the society from which the Defence Forces are drawn and serve.
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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114. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount spent on purchasing replacement specialist fire appliances for the Defence Forces Fire Services in the years of 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form [44841/23]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.
The Equipment Development Plan (EDP) published in June 2020, completed through extensive joint civil-military work, provides a comprehensive list of planned equipment projects by means of a five-year rolling plan. The EDP builds on the intentions set out in the White Paper in relation to equipment acquisition, modernisation and upgrade and has been developed to ensure that the Defence Forces have the major equipment platforms, ancillary equipment and force protection equipment to carry out their important roles both at home and overseas.
The current Defence Forces fleet of firefighting vehicles numbers eight (8). The make-up of the current operational fleet of firefighting vehicles across the three services (Army, Navy, and Air Corps) is as follows:
| Service Branch | Location | OperationalFire Appliances | In Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | The Fire Training CentreEngineer GroupDefence Forces Training Centre | 1 | Class B Fire Tender |
| UNIFIL (Overseas) | Irish Polish ContingentUNP 2-45Lebanon | 2 | Class B Fire Tenders |
| Air Corps | 506 SQNCasement AerodromeBaldonnel | 5 | 6x6 Fire Tenders (4)4x4 Scania CAT 3 |
Details of the amounts spent on contracts awarded from 2021 to date on purchasing replacement specialist fire appliances for the Defence Forces Fire Services are set out in tabular form below:
Tabular Statement: Specialist Fire Appliances Total Spend exl. VAT for the Defence Forces 2021 to 2023
| Year | Army | UNIFIL | Air Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nil | €229,000 | €1,990,812 |
| 2022 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| 2023 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
A breakdown of the 2021 spend includes €229,000 (ex VAT) which represents the final payment of the Class B Scania Fire Tender deployed to UNIFIL, the total cost of which was €347,670 (ex VAT). In addition,€1,911,117 (ex VAT) was spent on 1) two (2) new Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 Airport Fire Tenders, ordered from Rosenbauer UK Ltd in 2020, and delivered in 2021to replace existing aging Airport 6x6 Fire Tenders and 2) the final payment of €79,695 (ex VAT) on one (1) new 4x4 RIFT Scania, ordered from High Precision Motor Productsin 2019, and delivered in 2021.
The expected service life of these types of appliances is 15-20 years. I am satisfied that, with these new acquisitions and the planning for future procurements, the Defence Forces continue to have the necessary modern and effective range of equipment available to them in order to fulfil all roles assigned to them by Government.
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