Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
350. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Defence the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces relating to pay reform, career progression and specialist allowances; the measurable impact these measures have had on retention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12913/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, and its report was published on the 9th of February 2022 with the Detailed Implementation Plan for the Report published on 21 November 2023.
Of the 130 recommendations contained in the Detailed Implementation Plan, 54 are now fully completed (42%), with substantial progress underway on the majority of the remainder. This represents meaningful and tangible progress.
Attracting and retaining talented individuals and encouraging them to stay and enjoy a fruitful career in the Defence Forces is a key priority for me as Minister for Defence.
One of the indicators of progress is a reduction in attrition rates. In this regard, significant work has been undertaken over the past five years to address recruitment and retention, and I am pleased to say it is having a tangible impact with the stabilisation of overall staffing levels in the Defence Forces.
An encouraging indicator of this stabilisation has been a reduction in the turnover rate from 10 percent per annum in recent years and up to end 2024, to just under 8 percent for last year.
In January 2025, a Retention Team was set up in the Defence Forces to start building a clear pathway to reduce overall attrition across the Defence Forces. Work is well underway on development of the Defence Forces Retention Strategy, with support from an external partner.
In terms of recruitment , the Commission recommended that the wider benefits of membership of the Defence Forces should be a central feature of future campaigns and in that regard Grant Thornton have been engaged by the Department to assist in presenting the full benefits package. This piece of work will be completed in 2026.
Looking further ahead, the Defence Forces Strategic Workforce Plan is being developed. This plan will set out how the organisation can best balance its workforce in terms of numbers, structure, and skills over the coming years.
In terms of pay reform, a number of the the Commission's recommendations have already been delivered including ending the three-year “mark-time” period for Privates 3 Star/Able Seamen, granting these personnel the full Military Service Allowance; increased access to the Sea-going Service Commitment scheme, and replacement of existing sea-going allowances with less complex sea-going duty measures . Work is ongoing on its recommendation to establish a mechanism for regular review of specialist pay rates and allowances within public pay policy.
As Minister, my priority is to stabilise and further increase Defence Forces numbers, and in this regard significant progress has been made, in terms of the pay and conditions for Defence Force personnel, particularly over the last five (5) years. Under the current national pay deal, the Public Service Agreement (PSA) 2024-2026, a further 1% increase in basic pay, as well as allowances in the nature of pay, came into effect on 1 February 2026.
Other retention initiatives include:
• extension of private secondary healthcare to all personnel;
• extension of the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years until 2029;
• extension of the existing Air Corps Pilot Service Commitment Scheme by a period of three years and extension of the Service Commitment Scheme to qualified Air Traffic Control personnel;
• a new Professional Instructors Payment was introduced in 2025;
• an increase in the recruitment age to 39 years for those roles that had a recruitment age below that, and to 50 years for Direct Entry Specialists;
• an increase in the mandatory retirement age to 62;
Augmenting the progress made in relation to pay and conditions, has been the removal of the blanket exemption for the Defence Forces in the 1997 Organisation of Working Time Act. The application of the Act is an important step in aligning the Defence Forces with modern workforce standards and improving the health and safety of every member.
