David Stanton » Defence

QUESTION NO: 223

office — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:03:27 +0000

To ask the Minister for Defence the level of allowances for overseas deployment by the Defence Forces per rank applicable before the proposed reduction as outlined in the recent Budget and the corresponding amounts that will be payable when the reduction has been put in place; the overall amount he expects that this reduction will yield in a full year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. DEPUTY DAVID STANTON

FOR WRITTEN ANSWER ON THURSDAY, 13th JANUARY, 2011

Minister for Defence, (Mr. Tony Killeen, T.D.): In common with all areas of the public service, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces will operate with reduced funding for 2011. The gross 2011 Estimate for Defence and Army Pensions combined is €933m, an overall reduction of 4% on the 2010 Estimate. Defence spending at €725m, including capital, will be reduced by €30m or 4%.

The cost of overseas allowances in a given year is principally a factor of the number of personnel serving overseas and the time spent overseas. In this regard, while there was a significant reduction in participation in overseas peacekeeping in 2010, and thus in the expenditure on overseas allowances, this was driven mainly by the unexpected withdrawal from Chad.

On 14 December 2010 the Government approved the deployment of a contingent of the Defence Forces, as part of a joint Finnish/Irish battalion to UNIFIL. Discussions will commence with the UN and with Finland on finalising the composition of the contingent and the deployment schedule. Thereafter, Dáil approval will be sought for the mission. This will complete the Triple Lock mechanism of UN, Government and Dáil approval before deploying members of the Defence Forces overseas.

The overall provision in Subhead C of the Defence Vote, which provides for Permanent Defence Force allowances, including overseas allowances, has been reduced to €43.6m in 2011. There will be sufficient funds in the Defence Budget to meet the cost of the proposed deployment to Lebanon in 2011 and the cost of existing overseas missions.

Ireland is currently contributing 128 Defence Forces personnel to 11 different missions throughout the world. The main overseas mission in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed is the EU-led operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina with 43 personnel. Ireland’s contribution to the EU-led operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be drawn down this year as the mission continues to transition to a training and support mission. Once deployment to UNIFIL takes place it is expected that the total overseas deployment at that stage will amount to just over 500. This is a very significant contribution in the context of the reduced resources available and reflects the Government’s continued commitment to international peacekeeping and to the ongoing development of the Defence Forces.

Apart from the proposed deployment to Lebanon, no other deployments are planned or envisaged at this time and there are no such requests on hand.

QUESTION NO: 222

office — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:00:15 +0000

To ask the Minister for Defence the number of civilian employees attached to military installations; the number of these employees he plans to have in place following the reductions in these numbers outlined in the recent budget; the overall yield in cost terms that this reduction is planned to give in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. DEPUTY DAVID STANTON.

FOR WRITTEN ANSWER ON THURSDAY, 13TH JANUARY, 2011.

REPLY

Minister for Defence (Mr Tony Killeen, T.D.): There are currently a total of 732 civilian employees. It is anticipated that there will be 700 civilian employees by the end of this year with estimated savings of €700,000 accruing in 2011 as a result of the reduction in employee numbers. Civilian employees are based at various military installations in every Brigade area.

QUESTION NO:221

office — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:57:36 +0000

To ask the Minister for Defence the administrative efficiencies he plans to put in place in the Defence Forces in 2011 in order to achieve the €3 million savings as outlined in the Budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. DEPUTY DAVID STANTON

FOR WRITTEN ANSWER ON THURSDAY, 13th JANUARY, 2011

The administrative efficiencies of €3m in 2011, as outlined in Budget 2011, will be achieved chiefly through reduced employee numbers and related costs.

Expenditure in every area of Defence is being critically appraised. The priority now and into the future is to maintain the capability of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces to deliver effective services across all of the roles assigned by Government.

QUESTION NO: 926

office — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:23:55 +0000

PQ No: 1802/11

To ask the Minister for Defence the details of Commissioned Officers promotions in the Defence Forces in 2010; the details of Non-Commissioned Officer promotions and details of numbers promoted to non-commissioned officer rank in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

DEPUTY DAVID STANTON.

For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 12th January, 2011.

Minister for Defence (Mr. Tony Killeen, T.D.): Resulting from the Government Decision regarding the reduction of public service numbers and the reduced budgetary provision available for 2009, recruitment, promotions and acting up appointments in the Permanent Defence Forces were suspended. However, in order to maintain the ongoing operational capability of the Defence Forces, a limited number of exceptions to the application of the measures to the Permanent Defence Force were sought in a submission to the Minister for Finance, in June 2009.

As announced on the 24 November 2009 the Minister for Finance approved an allocation of 50 promotions for the Permanent Defence Force. These promotions were approved to address priority operational and command requirements of the Permanent Defence Force. Military Management reviewed existing vacancies in all ranks across the organisation as a whole, so as to prioritise those to be filled from the approved promotions. Following on from this review, a total of 13 Commissioned Officers and 35 Non-Commissioned Officer were promoted during 2010. The residual 2 approved promotions were retained for use to fill priority posts as the need arose.

Official confirmation and details relating to the Employment Control Framework (ECF) were received on 18 October 2010 from the Department of Finance. The ECF is based on a figure of 10,000 all ranks Permanent Defence Force personnel, appropriately configured across the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps to enable them meet the roles assigned by Government.

Officials from the Department together with the Military Authorities are in the process of reviewing the structures and posts required to meet the operational requirements of the Permanent Defence Force in accordance with the upper limits in ranks provided for in the ECF.

As the review process proceeds prioritised posts are being filled. In this regard a total of 104 promotions within the officer rank were completed in December 2010. Further officer promotions, approximately 45, will be made as soon as the relevant administrative procedures including the holding of promotion competitions, which are currently being organised, have taken place.

The officer promotions already approved reflect both an operational and organisational requirement and are consistent with the action plan being developed under the National Pay Agreement.

Further promotions for enlisted personnel in respect of prioritised posts are currently under consideration.