Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 October 2025
225. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the estimates of the full-cost implications of recruitment, including increases in medicals, induction, training, support and pay for the remainder of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52676/25]
View answerGovernment policy with regard to defence spending is defined within the parameters of our national budgetary process and role of Dáil Éireann, with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform & Digitisation setting the macroeconomic context within which Estimates processes are set annually. Within these parameters, officials from my Department have been actively engaged in Estimates 2026 discussions over recent weeks. These discussions encompass all aspects of Defence spending, including pay, non-pay, capital and current expenditure considerations.
With the 2026 Budget set to be delivered on October 7th, budgetary discussions are nearing a conclusion and, building on progress made over recent years, I expect a positive outcome for my Department next week. Aligned with the provision of a 2026 funding envelope, I shortly expect to receive a Defence Forces recruitment plan from the Chief of Staff, the detail of which will further inform the 2026 recruitment costs involved.
For context, I would like to highlight the progress made in increasing defence spending over recent years, with the Defence Vote Group allocation increasing by €243 million (22%), from €1.107 billion in 2022 to €1.350 billion in 2025. This significant allocation included, inter alia, an overall pay allocation of €569 million on the Defence Vote, of which €469 million provided for the pay of an expected year-end PDF strength of 7,600 and the induction of a net additional 400 recruits in 2025 - at an estimated cost of €13 million.
In order to meet government targets, the Defence Forces are making concerted efforts to ramp up recruitment beyond this net figure. Last year saw a stabilisation in numbers with 708 PDF inductions, and the military authorities have advised that they are targeting up to 800 inductions for 2025, with a significant number of inductions scheduled over the coming weeks.
The inclusion of an increased non-pay advertising allocation of €3.2 million in 2025, an advertising increase of over 200% in three years, has also delivered further impetus to ongoing Defence Forces recruitment efforts.
