Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2026
147. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding any initiatives that seek to encourage both recruitment and retention of personnel in the armed forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43421/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Defence, I am fully committed to supporting the Defence Forces to increase numbers and strengthen the Defence Forces.
The Defence Forces advise that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) as at the 30 April- the latest date for which this figure is available- stood at 7,741 personnel. It was positive to see the growth in numbers in 2025, with 790 inductions achieved and I have set a target of 850 inductions for 2026. Interest in a career in the Defence Forces remains notably high, with a total of 16,510 applications received in 2025 and more than 8,400 received to the end of April 2026.
The Defence Forces are making concerted efforts to boost recruitment and have put in place a range of initiatives that target potential candidates nationwide. The current marketing strategy for Defence Forces recruitment ‘Be More with the Irish Defence Forces’, demonstrates the opportunities and skills development a career in the Defence Forces can offer to potential candidates. A female advertising campaign was launched in February of this year, with a further Reserve Defence Force Recruitment campaign to launch in the autumn.
In addition, a wide ranging programme of capital investment in Defence Forces infrastructure, aimed at facilitating and enabling greater levels of recruitment and retention, continues apace. This year I have visited the Joint Induction Training Centre in Gormanston Barracks, an impressive facility which is under expansion and will eventually facilitate the induction of up to 900 recruits per annum. I also opened the USAC building in Galway in February last - a 69 bed state of the art accommodation facility which was completed at a cost of €12.3 million,- and, in April, officially opened the refurbished Block 4 accommodation building in the Naval Service Base, Haulbowline, which will accommodate an additional 74 personnel following an investment of €8.8million.
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.
These measures include: increases in the maximum ages of recruitment and retirement respectively; the extension of private secondary healthcare to all personnel; and the application of the provisions of the Working Time Directive across the Defence Forces subject to certain exemptions. The Patrol Duty allowance payable to Naval Service personnel at sea has been doubled after ten days at sea in a calendar year while the Naval Service tax credit has been extended up to 2029. There continues to be significant progress on pay with all personnel benefiting from a pay award effective as of last week.
Underpinning these and other measures, I ensured that Budget 2026 provided a record allocation of €1.49 billion for the Defence Sector, an increase of €145 million on 2025. These funds include provision for the recruitment of a net 400 additional PDF members per annum
Significant strides continue to be made on a number of fronts and the allocation of record levels of expenditure is illustrative of my commitment to increase recruitment into the Permanent Defence Force.
