Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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49. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces or his Department is keeping data on the number of people leaving the Defence Forces, by service, rank, and when they are leaving; if so, how far back this data goes; if it has been analysed to better understand the reason members are leaving the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49296/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Defence Forces inform me that they have discharge records going back to 1989, which include the details raised by the Deputy in his question.

Within the Permanent Defence Force (PDF), the term 'discharge' encompasses personnel who leave for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract, voluntary discharges and also includes the number of trainees who exited. Last year saw a stabilisation in the strength with the number of discharges recorded the lowest in four years. This trend has continued to date in 2025.

An analysis of discharge reasons is conducted by the PDF via Exit Surveys and Exit Interviews. Participation with these surveys is entirely voluntary. Therefore, not all reasons for leaving are captured. The level of turnover in the Defence Forces in 2024 was circa 9% which includes those in training. For the years 2020 -2024 the exit rate during recruit training averaged some 32%. Recruits do not complete their training for a variety of reasons. The realities of military life and the training requirements are not always suitable for some recruits or in line with their expectations of the role. Additionally, there will inevitably be a fall off in personnel in any position where there is a training period prior to appointment.. Notwithstanding this, the Commission on the Defence Forces stated in their report that they were satisfied that, in broad terms, levels of average turnover are not out of line with other military organisations internationally.

It is also the case that a high percentage of personnel who leave the Defence Forces do so with some form of pension. This can make taking up a position in the private sector very attractive, where a full-time position, could lead to an increase in an individual’s earnings. Furthermore, the current buoyancy of the Irish economy presents inevitable challenges in retaining highly skilled specialist personnel.

A number of key measures aimed at bolstering retention and making the Defence Forces an employer of choice have been introduced. These include the implementation of the Working Time Directive, the introduction of family friendly policies, the extension of private secondary health care to all members, increased capital expenditure for accommodation and training facilities, investment in new capabilities. There has also been significant progress on pay with the most recent increase coming on 1 August 2025.

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.