Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 July 2026
14. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 357 of 9 June 2026, the roles, ranks and corps represented by the three direct entry appointments made in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51920/26]
View answer15. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 357 of 9 June 2026, the number and categories of Permanent Defence Force specialist vacancies which it is intended to fill through Direct Entry during 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51921/26]
View answer17. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 357 of 9 June 2026, the current average timeframes between application and formal appointment of direct entry candidates, and measures taken to optimise specialist entry pathways; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51923/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 15 and 17 together.
As Minister for Defence, I am fully committed to supporting, optimising and strengthening recruitment and retention in the Permanent Defence Force.
The Defence Forces advise that the 3 Direct Entry Specialists inducted into the Permanent Defence Force in 2026 were an Army Motor Fitter (Private) and 2 Naval Service Engine Room Artificers (Leading Seaman). Since the time of the previous PQ, 1 Naval Service Electrical Engineer (Leading Seaman), 1 Naval Service Radio Radar Technician (Leading Seaman) and 2 Operations Branch Officers (Sub-Lieutenant) were also inducted.
It is intended to fill the following vacancies through Direct Entry in 2026. These competitions are underway and final induction numbers are to be confirmed:
|
Appointment |
Projected Inductions to the Appointment in 2026 |
|
Medical Officer |
2 |
|
Pharmacist |
1 |
|
Dental Hygienist |
1 |
|
Dental Nurse |
1 |
|
Chef |
1 |
|
Instrumentalist |
19 |
|
Aerospace Technician |
10 |
|
Dental Officer |
1 |
|
Naval Service Direct Entrants (all streams) |
15 |
The average timeline for application to vetting is 81 Days, which includes shortlisting, fitness testing (where applicable), interview and induction medical testing. Candidates then enter the security vetting processes. This is outside the control of the Defence Forces and may take a considerable length of time, depending on factors including; country of birth, countries in which the candidate has lived and the time spent in these countries. Once security vetting has been approved, the candidate will be offered an appointment. A candidate may have to work a period of notice from a previous employer before commencing service in the Defence Forces.
In addition to traditional recruitment, several measures have been introduced aimed at restoring and retaining capacity and boosting specialist numbers. These include an ongoing scheme which permits former personnel with specialist skills to re-enter the Permanent Defence Force and Direct Entry is utilised in the recruitment of specialists.
I am pleased that there continues to be very strong interest in a career in the Defence Forces with a total of 16,510 applications received in 2025 and a further 10,252 applications received to end May 2026. The challenge now for the Defence Forces is to convert the high level of applications to inductions. A draft Strategic Workforce Plan prepared by the Defence Forces has recently been submitted to me for consideration. The draft plan, recommendations, and modelling tool will be considered over the coming weeks. As the Deputy will be aware, the aim of this process is to provide a pathway to the achievement of a strength of 11,500, inclusive of civilian personnel, commensurate with Level of Ambition 2.
Increases in application numbers and in the overall strength of the PDF, over the last three years, demonstrate that the key enabling measures which the Government has introduced to support and drive Defence Forces recruitment and retention are yielding results. There also continues to be significant progress on pay with all personnel benefiting from a further pay award delivered earlier this month.
