Written answers
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
Department of Defence
Defence Forces
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his proposals to support the work of veterans associations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7902/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides support to two recognised Veterans Associations. These Veterans Associations, which represent all former personnel, are Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE), the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA). My officials and I meet regularly with these recognised Veterans Associations to discuss matters of concern to their members.
My Department has entered into Service Level Agreements with ONE and IUNVA, under which an annual grant is paid to both organisations in order to assist with their administrative overheads. ONE is paid €130,000 and IUNVA is paid €30,000. These grants were increased substantially in 2022. As a further means of assistance, since 2021 my Department has also secured total funding of €900,000 under the Dormant Accounts Fund to assist ONE and IUNVA with specific special projects.
Additionally, in line with the commitment in the current Programme for Government to "support the establishment of centres for members of the Defence Forces", my Department continues to facilitate, where possible, the establishment of further ONE Veterans Support Centres and IUNVA Posts around the country.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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154. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of people who retired from the Defence Forces in each of the years 2019 to date, by rank and by years of service, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7903/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The table below details the number of personnel who were discharged, by rank and by year, between 2019 and 2023, as requested. The military authorities have advised that it is not possible to provide the requested detail on the length of service for each individual as this information is not readily available.
Discharges from Permanent Defence Forces - 2019 to 2023
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lt General | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Maj General | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brig General | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Col | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Lt Col | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| Comdt | 27 | 10 | 11 | 31 | 31 |
| Capt | 21 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 19 |
| Lt | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Sgt Major | 9 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| BQMS | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| CS | 28 | 25 | 27 | 31 | 28 |
| CQMS | 15 | 13 | 14 | 30 | 12 |
| Sgt | 98 | 75 | 90 | 109 | 95 |
| Cpl | 117 | 74 | 102 | 148 | 135 |
| PTE 3* | 349 | 210 | 225 | 338 | 287 |
| PTE 2* | 20 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 4 |
| Rec | 150 | 153 | 163 | 132 | 96 |
| Appr | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Cadet | 14 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 6 |
| Total | 882 | 641 | 686 | 891 | 755 |
The term ‘discharges’ includes personnel who left for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges. Also included are a number of trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training (Private 2*, Recruits, Apprentices and Cadets).
I have previously acknowledged the staffing difficulties in the Defence Forces, and work is ongoing to counter these. My immediate focus remains on stabilising the numbers of personnel, and to facilitate capacity for further increases.
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