The Minister of Defence has today said he is in favour of recruiting non-nationals to the Irish defence forces and will immediately implement changes to recruitment procedures to facilitate the measure.
Speaking at the 16 thPDFORRA annual delegate conference in Tralee today, Minister Willie O'Dea said he believed the defence forces should reflect the significant broadening of cultural and ethnic diversity in Ireland which has occurred over the last number of years.
"The Defence Forces Equality Policy underpins equality legislation and outlines our commitment to the principles of equal opportunities in all their employment policies, procedures and regulations," the Minister said.
"I know that people from diverse backgrounds have already been employed in the defence forces, but this has mainly been in certain specialised areas. This has worked well - albeit on a limited scale, he added.
Saying he believed the defence forces will be enhanced by the move, Minister O'Dea added: "I have asked the Chief of Staff to review recruitment into the defence forces at all levels and to implement changes that would facilitate recruitment from among cultural and ethnic minorities".
The Minister also said the Government was committed to the development and modernisation of the defence forces and the agreed Programme for Government was a signal of that commitment.
The Programme for Government includes:
- Ensuring that investment in the defence forces continues;
- A continuation of annual recruitment and maintenance of the present establishment - 10,500 fully trained personnel and provision for up to 350 troops in training;
- Ensuring that troops have the most modern and effective range of protective equipment, weaponry and training available;
- The preparation of a second White Paper on Defence for the period 2011- 2020;
- Development of the Commissioning From the Ranks programme;
- Conducting of regular reviews of the operation of the equality and anti-bullying measures in the military
The Minister's decision follows a call by PDFORRA earlier today, for the Government to deliver on its election promises and recruit non-nationals to maintain the full strength of the Irish defence forces.
PDFORRA, the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, represents army, naval service and air corps personnel.
Deputy General Secretary Simon Devereux said the Government had made a committment in its Programme for Government, to continue recruitment in order to maintain full strength defence forces of 10,500 personnel and to provide for an additional 350 troops who will be in training at all times.
Speaking in Tralee, Mr Devereux said: "To maintain this level of personnel it will be necessary to vigorously recruit on an ongoing basis so that high quality individuals are attracted to the force.
"The Government should also look at the recruitment of non-nationals, who are prepared to make the commitment, and perhaps with some Irish citizenship rights for those recruited," he added.
PDFORRA called on the Government to make an "immediate movement" on the issue which it says is vital to maintaining an effective and professional defence force.