Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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173. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his views as to the most positive steps that could be taken to ensure the Defence Forces are funded, equipped, and supported in the face of evolving global security steps. [18001/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As Minister, I am deeply committed to the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern fit for purpose organisation to defend the State and meet the challenges of today and the future.

Across Europe, all countries are experiencing an increasingly contested, dynamic and volatile international security environment. There is a need for us to be seen to take our own security responsibilities seriously. We have seen significant increases in our own defence spending in the past few years in response to that, which has allowed us to procure much needed capabilities. We have set out a future pathway to continue these expenditure increases.

The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government 2020, and its report was published on the 9th of February 2022. There were 69 main recommendations and with sub recommendations there were 130 recommendations in total. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covered high-level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.

Given the significant recommendations contained in the Report, detailed consideration of these recommendations was undertaken with a High Level Action Plan (HLAP) and a Memo for Government brought to Government and approved on July 12th 2022. This involved the approval of a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2) by 2028, as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission. This will result in the Defence budget rising from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028, as part of the annual Estimates process.

This will be the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State and will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission. It encompasses both current and capital funding, and is supported by a comprehensive transformation programme of work, currently underway throughout the Department and the Defence Forces, as outlined and prioritised in the Strategic Framework and the Detailed Implementation Plan for the Commission’s Report.

For 2025, the total allocation for Defence is €1.35bn, the highest ever level and a 22% increase since 2022. This includes a capital allocation of €215 million, an increase of 52% since 2022, with a further increase planned for 2026, to €220 million.

The Programme for Government commits to increased investment in Defence, providing the funding and political support necessary to achieve Level of Ambition 2 (LOA 2), and move as quickly as possible to Level of Ambition 3 (LOA 3). It is my intention to continue the increase in funding for Defence, in line with Level of Ambition 2, as part of the annual estimates process. In addition, as provided for in the Programme for Government, a review of the National Development Plan will be undertaken in 2025 and I will be engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Reform & Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to Defence to enable the continued investment in maintaining and developing the capabilities of the Defence Forces, as recommended by the Commission on the Defence Forces, and in line with the Strategic Framework.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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175. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on recruitment to the Defence Forces across the Air Corps, Army, and Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17829/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The military authorities,, who are responsible for recruitment, have advised that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF), as at 9 April 2025, the latest date for which this figure is available, stood at 7,545 personnel comprising 6,074 Army, 726 Air Corp and 745 Naval Service personnel respectively.

A total of 708 personnel were inducted into the Permanent Defence Force in 2024. This compares favourably with previous induction figures of 415 in 2023 and 435 in 2022 and represents the highest number of inductions since 2017.

Further encouraging trends may be gleaned from the discharges figure for last year of 674. This is 81 fewer than the previous year and the lowest in four years. Overall, these figures suggest a plateauing in the downward trend in numbers; however much remains to be done.

It should be noted that interest in a career in the Defence Forces also grew significantly during 2024 with a total of 13,384 applications received across all competitions- an increase of 33% on the previous year.

The Government has implemented a range of measures aimed at addressing the recruitment and retention challenges in the Defence Forces. These include an increase in the maximum 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 rolled out to all PDF members, the patrol duty allowance has been doubled, the Naval Service Tax Credit has been extended for a further five years and there has also been significant progress on pay.

Recruitment is presently ongoing via a wide range of pathways including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes and eight Naval Service specific direct entry competitions. Cadetship competitions for each of the three branches recently closed for applications. A range of new recruitment competition streams were successfully launched over the past number of years and which have continued into 2025. A General Service recruitment competition was launched specifically for Air Corps recruits in November 2022 and this remains ongoing. In 2024 this has resulted in 46 General Service Recruits being inducted into the Air Corp. and as of the 31 March 2025, there have been 10 General Service Recruits inducted. A new Direct Entry competition (Aeronautical Engineer Officer) resulted in 5 inductions in 2024. A new cadetship competition stream for Air Traffic Controllers was also successfully concluded in 2024 and has recently closed for applications for 2025.

To facilitate the array of initiatives and recruitment competitions I have outlined here, 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.

As Minister for Defence, I am determined to meet and overcome the recruitment and retention challenges in the Defence Forces and the allocation by this government of an unprecedented level of expenditure to the Defence sector coupled with the suite of measures currently in train is illustrative of my intent in this regard.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the up-to-date position on the safety and security of Irish personnel serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17993/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the up-to-date position on risk assessments carried out this year on the safety impact to Irish peacekeeping troops serving in Lebanon on their monitoring of the blue line demarcation between Lebanon and Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17994/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 211 together.

The current situation in the Area of Operations (AO) where Irish Defence Forces personnel are deployed with UNIFIL in South Lebanon remains one of considerable instability. While there has been a notable decrease in kinetic activity following the recent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, in January, considerable uncertainty continues to pertain regarding the intentions and actions of various actors in the region, as evidenced most recently by the Israeli Defence Forces retention of a number of positions on Lebanese territory within the UNIFIL Mission Area.

I visited the Irish contingent in UNIFIL at the end of March in order to gain a deeper understanding of the realities on the ground and to personally convey the Government’s gratitude for the vital work being carried out by our peacekeepers in the region.

The safety and security of Irish personnel remains of paramount importance to myself and to Government and is central to the planning and execution of all operations and movements in the UNIFIL Mission Area. The security environment in both the UNIFIL Area of Operations and the broader region is under continuous review by military staff both in theatre and at Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ). I rely on ongoing military assessments and receive regular updates from the Chief of Staff on all relevant developments.

Risk assessments are dynamic and iterative in nature, and they are continuously updated to reflect changes on the ground. This ensures that the most appropriate and effective Force Protection Measures are in place to support the safety and well-being of our deployed peacekeepers. I can assure the Deputy that our Defence Forces are well trained and equipped to carry out their peacekeeping role and that these personnel continue to take every precaution in terms of force protection.

I also wish to reiterate that the Defence Forces will continue to carry out their mission in southern Lebanon in line with the UNIFIL mandate, acting as the eyes and ears of the international community on the ground, and calling out and drawing attention to activities contrary to international humanitarian law where they occur.