Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of vacancies, by rank in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45600/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The military authorities have advised that as at 30 September 2024, the latest date for which such data is available, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,477 personnel. The requested information concerning the number of vacancies by rank is provided in the attached table.

I have acknowledged in the past the recruitment and retention challenges in the Defence Forces. To address these I have introduced a number of measures. These include an increase in recruitment age to 39 years for those roles that had a recruitment age below that, and to 50 years for Direct Entry Specialists. The mandatory retirement age has been increased to 62. Private secondary healthcare has been extended to all PDF members. The Patrol Duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel at sea has been doubled after ten days at sea in a calendar year and the Naval Service tax credit has been extended for a further five years. There has also been significant progress on pay in recent years.

On my instruction, the military authorities increased their recruitment targets beyond those originally projected for 2024, and as of 30 September 2024, 494 personnel have been inducted. This represents a significant increase on the total number of inductions for last year while the latest advice from the military authorities indicates that there will be in the region of 250 further inductions in 2024. There have been 443 discharges as of 31 August, 35 fewer than at the same time last year.

Interest in a career in the Defence Forces continues to rise as evidenced by the total of 10,387 applications received across all competitions as of 30 September. This is more than the total number received for all of 2023.

Budget 2025 provided a record allocation of €1.35 billion for the Defence Sector, an increase of €100 million. In relation to specific recruitment targets, this allocation provides for the recruitment of at least a net additional 400 personnel per annum.

Whilst there are still undoubtedly challenges, significant progress has been made on a number of fronts and the allocation of record levels of expenditure to the Defence sector is illustrative of my intent in this regard.