Thursday, 14 Apr 2016

Military Medals

Ceisteanna (242)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

242. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence the status of the report into the incident on board the LÉ Cliona on 29 May 1962. [6418/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

In light of the representations that I received in relation to retrospective awards for the two individuals, I requested that the Chief of Staff have the circumstances surrounding the incident on board the LÉ Cliona on 29 May 1962 be reviewed.

The review has recently been completed and the resulting report has recently been submitted to me by the Chief of Staff. I am currently considering its findings and recommendations.

Defence Forces Reserve

Ceisteanna (243)

Seán Kyne

Ceist:

243. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Defence the status of a request for a transfer by a member (details supplied) of the Reserve Defence Force; when he will make a decision on this; the reason for the delay; if he will take the personal circumstances of the person into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6535/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

It is not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. I will respond directly to the Deputy once I have received the relevant information from the appropriate military authorities.

Defence Forces Parades

Ceisteanna (244)

Tony McLoughlin

Ceist:

244. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Defence to make a decision on allowing the Defences Forces to be present at the Old Fair Day in Tubbercurry, County Sligo, which is taking place this year on 10 August 2016, given that the organising committee is anxious to get this response as there are a lot of preparations required for the occasion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6577/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Defence Forces will supply a display of military vehicles at the Old Fair Day in Tubbercurry on 10 August 2016. A letter will be sent from the Department of Defence to the organising committee in the next few days confirming the contact details of the Defence Forces liaison officer for the event.

Defence Forces Recruitment

Ceisteanna (245)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

245. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Defence his plans to commence a recruitment drive for the Air Corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6635/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising of 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, at 29 February 2016 (provisional figures), the latest date for which details are available, was 9146 comprising 7329 Army, 744 Air Corps and 1073 Naval Service.

The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of each of the three services. As there is significant turnover of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force, targeted recruitment has been and is currently taking place so as to maintain the agreed strength levels.

A General Service recruitment campaign for the Army was launched on 4 August 2015 and is ongoing and will be utilised until the panels are exhausted. Air Corps General Service Recruits are drawn, as required, from the Army General Service Recruit panels.

A new General Service recruitment campaign for the Army was launched on 13 April 2016 and Air Corps General Service Recruits will be drawn from future panels as required. The Defence Forces plan to induct just over 600 general service personnel to the Permanent Defence Force in 2016 and a further 850 personnel in 2017.

Direct Entry Competitions are also held as required from which specialist appointments are filled. It is intended to conduct a recruitment competition for 25 Trainee Military Aircraft Technicians in early 2016.

The intake of Cadets into the Permanent Defence Force is normally carried out on an annual basis taking into consideration the operational requirements of the Defence Forces and the resource envelope allocated to Defence. The 2016 Cadetship campaign is currently underway with a closing date of 17 April 2016.

With the support of the Chief of Staff and within the resources available, it is intended to retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks laid down by Government both at home and overseas.

Departmental Contracts Data

Ceisteanna (246)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

246. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the details of each Statutory Instrument signed; each contract entered into; each tender issued; each tender awarded; each State Board appointment made by him or by an agency of his Department from 1 January 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6688/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The following table outlines the Statutory Instruments (Defence Force Regulations) signed in the period since 1 January 2016:

Title	Amendment	Date of Signature
D. F. R. C.S.4 - Organisation of the Defence Forces.	Provides for changes in the establishment of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF).	02/02/2016
D.F.R. R 5 (New Series) Reserve Defence Force.	Provides for an appropriate reference to the Protective Disclosure Act 2014 in this Regulation.	02/02/2016
D.F.R. A.7 Discipline.	Provides for an appropriate reference to the Protective Disclosure Act 2014 in this Regulation.	02/02/2016
D.F.R. 1/2016	Provides for continuance in service of an officer of the PDF, on foot of a formal request from the UN to extend this officer’s tour of duty while waiting for the newly appointed Head of Mission and Force Commander to report to the Mission.	16/03/16

Pursuant to subsection (4) of section 2 of the Statutory Instruments Act, 1947 (No. 44 of 1947) statutory instruments of particular classes made by the Minister for Defence are exempt from publication because of their limited application.

It has not been possible in the time available to compile all the necessary information requested by the Deputy concerning contracts and tenders. This information is being gathered and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The only State body currently under the aegis of the Department of Defence is the Army Pensions Board. There were no appointments to the Army Pensions Board in the period since 1 January 2016.

Defence Forces Expenditure

Ceisteanna (247)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

247. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence the cost of the presence of the Defence Forces at Shannon Airport protecting civilian troop carriers and military planes of the United States of America, by month in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6876/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so.

The costs incurred in the provision of ATCP support to An Garda Síochána at Shannon airport by month in 2015 are set out in the table below. The costs comprise payment of Security Duty Allowance, provision of rations, and fuel.

Month	Costs
January	€15,316.59
February	€13,978.76
March	€15,398.63
April	€14,796.42
May	€15,375.19
June	€14,901.90
July	€15,293.15
August	€15,281.43
September	€14,843.30
October	€15,422.07
November	€14,878.46
December	€15,328.31
Total Cost in 2015	€180,814.21

State Properties Data

Ceisteanna (248)

Peadar Tóibín

Ceist:

248. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Defence the details of vacant State properties and land, including car parks not in use, owned by his Department or by bodies and agencies under the aegis of his Department by square footage, by location, by local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6911/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

My Department has been engaged on an ongoing programme of barrack consolidation since 1998 and the Defence property portfolio is kept under ongoing review by my Department.

The properties outlined below are those that are surplus to military requirements and are currently vacant. The Department continues to be available to discuss, with any interested group, any proposals they may have for the possible purchase and future development of these sites for the benefit of the local community.

Property	Location	Approx acreage	Local Authority
Landing pier	Castletownbere, Cork	1	Cork
Fort Shannon	Tarbet	2	Kerry
Part of former rifle range lands	Cushla Roscommon	139	Roscommon
Former rifle range lands	Kilcoran Tippearary	13	Tipperary
Part of former Military Barracks	Nenagh	2	Tipperary
Former rifle range lands	Barna Templemore	1	Tipperary
Lands	Garrynafeala Athlone	15	Westmeath
Former Military Barracks	Mullingar	24	Westmeath

Defence Forces Expenditure

Ceisteanna (249)

Mick Wallace

Ceist:

249. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence the cost of the presence of the Defence Forces at Shannon Airport protecting civilian troop carriers and military planes of the United States of America, by month in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6986/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so.

The costs incurred in the provision of ATCP support to An Garda Síochána at Shannon airport by month in 2015 are set out in the following table. The costs comprise payment of Security Duty Allowance, provision of rations, and fuel.

Month	Costs
January	€15,316.59
Feburary	€13,978.76
March	€15,398.63
April	€14,796.42
May	€15,375.19
June	€14,901.90
July	€15,293.15
August	€15,281.43
September	€14,843.30
October	€15,422.07
November	€14,878.46
December	€15,328.31
Total Cost in 2015	€180,814.21

Defence Forces Personnel Data

Ceisteanna (250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 258)

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

250. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications approved and the number of positions taken up to join the Reserve Defence Force, by Army and by Navy, in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date, in tabular form. [7099/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

251. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons who left the Reserve Defence Force, by Army and by Navy, in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date, in tabular form. [7100/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

252. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications for Garda Síochána vetting made by the Defence Forces for prospective members of the Reserve Defence Force in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date. [7101/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

253. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the number of days spent at sea by members of the Naval Service Reserve in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date. [7102/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

254. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the personnel strength of the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve at the end of each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date. [7103/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

258. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the strength of the Reserve Defence Force services, by Army Reserve, by Naval Service Reserve, by rank, at the end of each of the years 2012 to 2015. [7107/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 to 254, inclusive, and 258 together.

It is not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. My Department will seek to compile as much of the information as is reasonably accessible within the resources available. I will provide the information directly to the Deputy as soon as is practicable.

Defence Forces Reserve

Ceisteanna (255)

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

255. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence if there is any legislative impediment to members of the Reserve Defence Force serving overseas alongside their colleagues in the Permanent Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7104/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

There is no provision in the Defence Acts to allow Reserve Defence Force (RDF) personnel to be deployed overseas. However, it was identified in the White Paper 2015 that there may be professional skills that on occasion may not be readily available in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF). Arising from the fact that there may be individual members of the RDF, who by virtue of their professional civilian qualifications have the competence to undertake such specialised tasks , the Government have decided that a panel of such professionally qualified members of the RDF, to be known as the Specialist Reserve should be established.

As part of the White Paper implementation process, a skills survey will be undertaken to identify those individuals in the First Line Reserve (FLR), Army Reserve (AR) and Naval Service Reserve (NSR) with relevant professional qualifications and their potential availability. In tandem with this project, my Department will identify the options available to underpin the engagement of the members of the Specialist Reserve, whose personal circumstances would allow them to undertake required tasks, including on overseas missions.

As also alluded to in the White Paper, the Secretary General, in conjunction with the Chief of Staff, will bring forward proposals for the operation of a scheme that affords a small number of suitably qualified members of the RDF, whose personal circumstances allow them to do so, the opportunity to undertake operational duties at home and overseas.

Defence Forces Strength

Ceisteanna (256, 257)

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

256. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the up-to-date strength of the Permanent Defence Force, by Army, by Naval Service, by Air Corps, by ranks and by gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7105/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Lisa Chambers

Ceist:

257. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Defence the strength of the Permanent Defence Force by Army, by Naval Service, by Air Corps and by rank at the end of each of the years 2012 to 2015. [7106/16]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 257 together.

The following tables set out the strength of the Permanent Defence Force as of 29th February, 2016, the latest date for which figures are available, across all three services and ranks, broken down by gender. The figures provided are for whole time equivalent posts.

Army

Rank	Male	Female	Total
Lieutenant General	1	0	1
Major General	2	0	2
Brigadier General	6	0	6
Colonel	31	0	31
Lieutenant Colonel	103	3	106
Commandant	225	27	252
Captain	229	41	270
Lieutenant	157	28	185
Sergeant Major	29	0	29
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	32	0	32
Company Sergeant	104	1	105
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	160	2	162
Sergeant	859	58	917
Corporal	1,176	113	1,289
Private	3,731	182	3,913
Cadets	27	2	29
Total	6,872	457	7,329

Naval Service

Rank	Male	Female	Total
Brigadier General	1	0	1
Colonel	2	0	2
Lieutenant Colonel	13	0	13
Commandant	44	6	50
Captain	34	16	50
Lieutenant	29	2	31
Sergeant Major	6	0	6
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	7	0	7
Company Sergeant	76	0	76
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	16	0	16
Sergeant	179	6	185
Corporal	130	8	138
Private	464	19	483
Cadets	12	3	15
Total	1,01 3	60	1,073

Air Corps

Rank	Male	Female	Total
Brigadier General	1	0	1
Colonel	2	0	2
Lieutenant Colonel	14	0	14
Commandant	31	1	32
Captain	51	7	58
Lieutenant	17	0	17
Sergeant Major	7	1	8
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	4	0	4
Company Sergeant	54	0	54
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	13	1	14
Sergeant	11 8	6	124
Corporal	138	9	147
Private	234	10	244
Cadets	25	0	25
Total	709	35	744

The following tables set out the strength of the Permanent Defence Force by the three services and rank at the end of each of the years 2012 to 2015

Army

Rank	Army 2012	Army 2013	Army 2014	Army 2015
Lieutenant General	1	1	1	1
Major General	1	2	2	2
Brigadier General	6	6	6	6
Colonel	35	34	33	33
Lieutenant Colonel	109	108	104	106
Commandant	252	250	243	258
Captain	321	263	280	257
Lieutenant	241	257	219	183
Sergeant Major	28	29	29	29
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	33	33	32	32
Company Sergeant	89	110	100	103
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	147	165	158	162
Sergeant	782	897	871	917
Corporal	1,383	1,312	1,396	1,303
Private	4,041	3,926	3,944	3,869
Cadets	41	41	39	48
Total	7,510	7,43 4	7,457	7,309

Naval Service

Rank	Naval Service 2012	Naval Service 2013	Naval Service 2014	Naval Service 2015
Lieutenant General	0	0	0	0
Major General	0	0	0	0
Brigadier General	1	1	1	1
Colonel	2	1	2	2
Lieutenant Colonel	13	13	13	13
Commandant	43	45	43	51
Captain	56	52	61	51
Lieutenant	47	47	34	32
Sergeant Major	6	6	6	6
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	7	7	7	7
Company Sergeant	72	69	68	76
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	15	15	15	15
Sergeant	179	170	170	187
Corporal	157	174	171	139
Private	443	408	454	488
Cadets	17	15	12	15
Total	1,058	1,02 3	1,057	1,083

Air Corps

Rank	Air Corps 2012	Air Corps 2013	Air Corps 2014	Air Corps 2015
Lieutenant General	0	0	0	0
Major General	1	0	0	0
Brigadier General	1	1	1	1
Colonel	1	2	2	2
Lieutenant Colonel	14	14	11	14
Commandant	32	32	31	31
Captain	56	53	55	60
Lieutenant	32	32	28	16
Sergeant Major	8	8	8	8
Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant	4	4	4	4
Company Sergeant	35	48	50	54
Company Quartermaster Sergeant	13	13	14	14
Sergeant	107	126	124	123
Corporal	180	160	158	149
Private	299	269	257	245
Cadets	8	17	23	27
Total	791	779	766	748

Strength figures from 2013 on are Whole Time Equivalents.

The Government is committed to maintaining the stabilised strength of the Permanent Defence Force at 9,500 personnel, comprising of 7,520 Army, 886 Air Corps and 1,094 Naval Service as stated in the 2015 White Paper on Defence.

The manpower requirement of the Defence Forces is monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the operational requirements of each of the three services. Personnel are posted on the basis of operational needs across the organisation both at home and abroad. As there is significant turnover of personnel in the Permanent Defence Force targeted recruitment takes place so as to maintain personnel numbers at or near the agreed strength levels.

With the support of the Chief of Staff, I am confident that we shall retain the capacity of the Defence Forces to operate effectively across all roles and to undertake the tasks assigned by Government, both at home and overseas.