Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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82. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will report on his attendance at a recent conference (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31253/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It was a great honour to be given the opportunity to attend and speak at PDFORRA's Annual Delegate Conference (ADC), on 13 May last, at the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry - my first PDFORRA ADC since assuming the role of Tánaiste and Minister for Defence.

At this conference I had the opportunity to address delegates on a number of key issues currently facing the Defence Forces. A wide range of improvements have been made over the last year, particularly with regard to pay and conditions, as well as the removal of the blanket exemption for the Defence Forces in the 1997 Organisation of Working Time Act- this was one of the most significant developments for personnel in recent times.

At this time, I outlined that a key priority for me, as Minister for Defence, is to improve the levels of recruitment and retention within the Defence Forces. Interest in a career in the Defence Forces grew significantly during 2024, with a total of 13,384 applications received across all competitions- an increase of 33 per cent on the previous year.

I noted that Budget 2025 provided an allocation of €1.35 billion for the Defence Sector, funding which will provide for the recruitment of at least a net additional 400 personnel per annum. Additionally, increases in the maximum age of recruitment for General Service/Cadets to 39, and to 50 for Direct Entry specialists last year has expanded considerably the pool of potential candidates for careers in the Defence Forces.

In addition, my Department is progressing plans to achieve the Commission on Defence Force’s (CoDF) recommendation of achieving Level of Ambition 2 (LOA2) and following that to move, as quickly as possible, to LOA3. By doing so, we will provide for the development of a full spectrum of Defence Force Capabilities that will bring Ireland in line with other similar-sized European countries.

In my address to conference, I acknowledged the tremendous work our Defence Forces carry out in peace-keeping and confirmed that I will be bringing a memo to Cabinet seeking a renewal of the UNIFIL mandate, for a further 12 months, subject of course to the renewal of the UN Mandate, which is due to expire on August 31^st. By re-committing to the UNIFIL mission, I pointed to the fact that Ireland is sending out a clear message that we support peace, we value stability and we care about the people and communities of Southern Lebanon.

With regard to fundamental cultural change, I acknowledged the significant progress made in the implementation of the recommendations in the two years since the publication of the Independent Review Group (IRG) report, to include the recently launched new independent Interim Grievance Manager process, for serving members of the Defence Forces for complaints of an interpersonal nature, which Kevin Duffy, former Chair of the Labour Court, has agreed to head up.

In conclusion, Deputy, I look forward to continued constructive engagement with the Defence Forces Representative Associations, in my current role, on all matters that fall within the scope of their representation.