Óráid
Statement by the Tánaiste at PDFORRA Annual Delegate Conference 2024
Le: Aire Cosanta; Micheál Martin
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Le: Aire Cosanta; Micheál Martin
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Check against delivery
President, Secretary General of the department, General Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, Defence Force Representatives, distinguished guests and conference delegates.
First of all, thank you for your warm welcome. It is a great pleasure and honour for me, as Minister for Defence, to again be given this opportunity to address your Annual Delegate Conference, here in beautiful Ballyconnell.
This feels like an important moment.
As we are all aware, the security environment is undergoing a period of profound change with the invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and conflict in Africa.
Climate Change is already causing havoc in many regions where food and water security is under massive pressure and local populations just cannot be sustained.
Democratic norms, old assumptions about the primacy of the rule of law and certainties about what is and is not acceptable in international and political affairs are all under unprecedented threat.
Together, they are all increasing instability internationally.
We’re seeing the effect of this in our own country, with unprecedented migratory pressure caused by those fleeing for safety and the introduction of language and ideas into our own civic space that we’ve never had to manage before.
Within our Defence Forces, it has been both a challenging and productive year.
What I want to do today is talk about the opportunity that emerges from these various crises; and about what we are doing to ensure our national security in the context of all these challenges.
The truth is that as a country we really haven’t talked enough about security, the role of our Defence Forces in underpinning that security and what we need to be doing to make sure they are able to sustain their mission.
We haven’t been clear enough in spelling out a vision of what it means to have a modern, professional, properly resourced Irish military capacity in today’s Europe, in today’s world.
Perhaps we haven’t had to, but the changes I’ve mentioned there means we need to.
Through my initiative on the National Dialogue on international security and defence I hope I’ve helped start that wider conversation, and today I want to talk about what we’ve done and plan to do to ensure that Ireland’s Defence Forces can be as strong and as focussed as we need them to be.
Looking overseas in the first instance, a fortnight ago I had the opportunity to review the members of the 124th Infantry Battalion who will shortly deploy to Lebanon, as part of the United Nations’ Interim Force (UNIFIL).
As a militarily neutral country, peacekeeping is one of absolutely core military objectives.
UNIFIL is a critically important peacekeeping mission and I know that the entire Defence family is rightfully very proud of our history and role there.
In our recent approval of the Defence Forces’ continued participation in the UNIFIL, the government commitment included a provision to deploy an additional platoon of 33 personnel, which will enhance the force protection of the Irish battalion serving in UNIFIL.
Because, in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, we are reminded that the safety and security of our Defence Forces’ personnel is always of paramount concern.
Since hostilities commenced in the region, I have remained in ongoing contact with the Chief of Staff, and the Department of Defence and I are continually updated on all security and safety developments in those areas where our personnel are deployed.
You can be assured, also, that contingency planning and risk assessments are part and parcel of the planning in operational deployments and are carried out on a continual basis in response to any threats that may arise.
Be assured that I and Government will continue to monitor the situation closely, along with our partners in the UN and the wider international community.
This weekend I will travel to Lebanon to meet our troops and to get a sense of the issues they are facing on the ground.
I will use this opportunity to again express Ireland’s profound thanks for the duties our troops undertake in this volatile region.
I know that Private Seán Rooney remains at the forefront of all our minds, and I will also be using this visit to underline, again, directly with the Lebanese Authorities, the need to actively progress the court case regarding the murder of Pte. Rooney.
I would like to take this opportunity today to again remember and acknowledge Seán’s exceptional service, and his ultimate sacrifice for peace.
As I opened my remarks, I talked about my vision for Ireland’s Defence Forces as a modern, professional, properly resourced European military.
Obviously, therefore, a key priority for me is to improve the levels of recruitment and retention of personnel across the service. And, again obviously, pay and conditions is an important part of this.
Since I last addressed your conference in 2023, delegates, significant progress has been made in this area.
The Commission on the Defence Forces made a number of recommendations concerning pay structures, which have been implemented including removal of the requirement for a Private 3 Star/Able Seaman to ‘mark time’ for the first three years at that rank.
Payment of the full rate of Military Service Allowance (MSA) is now applicable to the rank of all Private 3 Star/Able Seaman personnel.
In addition to this, in late 2023, I introduced significant new changes to the existing Naval Service allowances.
This new measure replaces and simplifies the previous sea-going allowances, and as a result, the current Patrol Duty Allowance has been doubled.
This measure took effect from 1 January 2024,resulting in the daily rate increasing from €65.72 to €131.44 for an enlisted person, after ten days at sea.
Additionally, the ratification of a new public service pay agreement, resulted in an initial 2.25% wage adjustment, from 1 January 2024.
This means that recruits, on completion of training (which takes approximately 24 weeks), will start at:
A further 1% pay rise will be due again, in the near future on the 1st of June.
Furthermore, in 2023 I extended private secondary medical care to all Defence Forces personnel, a measure that commenced in September 2023.
In addition to the comprehensive range of primary care currently provided, this new measure facilitates referrals to private consultants, as well as the costs of any diagnostic tests.
For example for female personnel it allows referral to private consultants for maternity care.
In addition to these improvements in pay and conditions, my effort to improve recruitment and retention rates has also included an initiative on the Mandatory Retirement Age.
I recently sought and received government approval to increase the maximum retirement age for Permanent Defence Force personnel to 60.
This facilitated an increase in the maximum recruitment age to 39 for those roles with a current recruitment age below 39 years.
This new measure will encompass all Permanent Defence Force ranks that previously had a mandatory retirement age below 60, thereby giving certainty to personnel for their future.
It is intended to further increase the mandatory retirement age of 62 for members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Firefighters and the Irish Prison Service services.
This increase to age 62 requires primary legislation and officials are at an advanced stage of drafting the legislation, working to get it done as quickly as possible.
We’re also aggressively ramping up the basic first step of getting people into the Defence Forces in the first place, and in the record allocation of €1.23 billion for the Defence Sector in Budget 2024, I’ve included a provision for the recruitment and training of at least a net additional 400 enlisted personnel this year.
All of these measures I have mentioned, combined, will seriously improve the attractiveness of Defence Forces in the jobs and career market.
They also, I hope, demonstrate my determination to ensure that our Defence Forces is one of the most attractive, safe and positive options as a career choice in this country.
In addition to great people, a modern and professional military requires modern and professional equipment.
In that context, I was pleased to recently announce revised allocations of €215 million in 2025 and €220 million in 2026. These increases will boost our ongoing efforts to modernise and upgrade equipment and infrastructure.
This increased capital funding is another essential part of the transformation jigsaw.
The increased spending on equipment for personnel will directly benefit you, the serving members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, to support you in the important work you undertake, on behalf of the state.
This increased investment will span a range of equipment, to include Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment, Helmets and Body Armour, Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) Equipment, and Night Vision Equipment.
Additionally, as Tánaiste and Minister for Defence I am driving forward a series of long-term, strategically important investments, such as the development of a new national Military Radar System, Sub-Sea Awareness Capabilities, Naval Fleet Management and Replacement, and the purchase of new fixed and rotary wing aircraft, including a Military Transport Aircraft.
This increase in strategic investment demonstrates again the serious intent that I and this government have, in terms of modernising resourcing Óglaigh na hÉireann.
Since my appointment, I have been clear and consistent, and I reiterate today my determination to do what’s necessary to ensure that your work feels valued, respected and that each of you is given the training and equipment you need to perform the essential service that the State asks of you.
In that same period, we have engaged in a level of investment in Defence Infrastructure throughout the State which is unparalleled in the country’s history.
As I speak here today, delegates, there are currently close to €150 million worth of capital projects underway, all over the country, at different stages of development.
This investment programme includes ten accommodation projects, with a combined value of almost €50 million, which will provide 565 bed spaces, overall, throughout the country.
In 2024, alone, this government plans to spend €56 million on capital investment and property maintenance costs - the highest level of annual investment ever.
As everyone here is aware, the report of the Independent Review Group (IRG), established to examine dignity and equality issues in the Defence Forces, was published following government approval on 28 March 2023.
As a government we agreed to progress all 13 recommendations contained in the Report.
Some actions have already been completed while others will take further time due to the requirement for legislative change.
The first action taken following publication of the IRG report was the establishment of an External Oversight Body (EOB), and last month I published the Defence Amendment Bill 2024, which includes provision for the establishment of the External Oversight Body on a statutory basis.
That body will oversee and ensure the delivery of the substantial reform and culture change necessary to deliver the sort of modern, professional and properly resourced military that I know everyone here believes in.
Moving to another relevant matter for delegates, the Working Time Directive.
I reassure you today that I am committed to removing the blanket exemption, which currently applies to the Defence Forces, under the Organisation of Working Time Act.
Following extensive consultations involving your Association, as well as RACO and civilian-military management, I am pleased to tell you that I have now approved an agreed policy on the removal of the blanket exemption in the Organisation of Working Time Act for the Defence Forces.
This achievement was facilitated in no small way by the constructive and committed engagement by all parties and I wish to express my gratitude to my officials, military management and to your Association, for your tireless efforts to help us get to this point.
Our next step here is to progress the necessary legislative changes. As part of this process, my officials are currently engaging with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment who have responsibility for bringing forward the appropriate legislative framework. We will be working proactively with that department to bring forward the legislation as quickly as possible.
I wish to underline the importance of this significant piece of work for each member of the Defence Forces. The implementation of the Working Time Directive is rightly seen as an important retention measure, and will ensure that health and safety protections, as prescribed in the Directive, are afforded to serving personnel.
I am also pleased to say that a pilot Time and Attendance system, across a number of areas within the Defence Forces, has recently concluded. A “lessons learned” analysis is underway by the military authorities.
Separately, work has commenced on the procurement of a long-term electronic solution.
A robust time and attendance system to record the daily working hours of every member of the Defence Forces will be a critical enabler in taking forward the implementation of the Directive.
As you know, in 2022 this government formally engaged with both PDFORRA and RACO regarding their long-standing request to seek associate membership with ICTU. The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommended that this should be facilitated, subject to legal advice.
Temporary association status with ICTU was conferred on both RACO and PDFORRA, pending the necessary legislative framework that would allow this association on a permanent basis.
When I was recently taking the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024 though the Dáil, I was very clear that one purpose of the legislation is to facilitate the relationship between the representative bodies and ICTU.
I am committed to that.
I also understand however that it is vital to the interests of national security that the State’s ability to control and direct its Armed Forces remains clear, unequivocal and unambiguous.
I understand that PDFORRA continue to have certain concerns in relation to language in the Bill around the conditions attached to ICTU association, but I have recently written to PDFORRA on the matter and I sincerely hope that the assurances I have provided deals with these concerns. I am open to further clarifications on this - there is simply no questions of restricting the Association’s right and capacity to advocate on behalf of its members’ interests.
In conclusion, the entire Irish Defence family continues to operate in a period of flux and uncertainty; a time of great change and a time of great opportunity.
We have an opportunity now for an era of growth and transformation of our Defence Forces; an opportunity to talk about what you do and how we defend our nation in a serious minded way. In a way that perhaps we have never done before as a country.
We have the opportunity to make the decisions and the investments that will ensure the sustainability of our Defence Forces for the next generation and lay the groundwork for generations to come.
As Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, I am determined to take these opportunities and I hope that my actions to date demonstrate that fact.
I am grateful for the fact that PDFORRA, representing the vast majority of our Defence Forces personnel, will continue to play an important role in bringing about the changes that are necessary in the Defence Forces, as we move forward together.
Delegates, over the course of my remarks today I have outlined some of what I have been doing to improve the organisation to which you give so much.
I want to again acknowledge the role that PDFORRA have played in bringing about these developments and enhancements.
Many of these improvements have been the subject of long campaigns by PDFORRA, and I want you to know that I highly value our interactions.
I will continue to work with you to drive forward positive change and investment. You are an important pillar of our State and the work you do is a source of great pride for very many people.
Finally, I would like to again thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today.
I want to thank PDFORRA Leadership, as well as the Organising Committee, for your flexibility and assistance in facilitating my speech at this time, today. This is appreciated.
I would just wish to note the successful election of the Chief of Staff to the role of the Chair of the EU’s Military Committee. I would like to wish him every success in the role.
I want to wish you, delegates, the very best with the remainder of your Conference.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.