In Dail Eireann, Deputy James Browne asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence (Leo Varadkar T.D., who was not present in the chamber) if an investigation will be carried out into the physical and psychological effects prolonged working hours are having on soldiers, sailors and aircrews; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

DEPUTY PAUL KEHOE

Minister of State at the Department of An Taoiseach (with responsibility for the Defence Forces) Deputy Paul Kehoe; The limitations on working time set out in the working time directive are for the purpose of preserving the health and safety of personnel. The Department of Defence and military management are aware of the provisions of the working time directive and have been working closely to progress its implementation. Litigation taken by a member of the Permanent Defence Force in respect of the applicability of certain elements of the working time directive to the Defence Forces was settled in June this year in the High Court having regard to the specific circumstances of that case. Further litigation on the working time directive as it relates to the Defence Forces is pending and it is not appropriate to comment further on it at this point.
Deputy James Browne; As we understand it now, some members of the Defence Forces are working three 24-hour duties in a week and can even be called back into work after those shifts are finished. Such situations are becoming commonplace, and at the recent PDFORRA conference, it was stated that all the military services are overstretched due to ever decreasing manpower level. PDFORRA is calling on the Department of Defence to carry out an investigation into the physical and psychological effects such prolonged working hours are having on soldiers, sailors and air crews. This must be a worthwhile call and surely such an investigation could well bolster Defence Forces’ cases with the Public Service Pay Commission.

DEPUTY JAMES BROWNE

Deputy Paul Kehoe; The health and safety of members of the Defence Forces is a priority for me and the military authorities. Many of the activities of the Defence Forces comply with the provisions of the working time directive. As the Deputy will appreciate, implementation of the directive will amount to a fundamental change in working conditions that have been in place for many years.
Deputy Jack Chambers; There are serious issues around health and safety. The Minister of State has a White Paper target of 9,500 recruits despite massive non-compliance with the working time directive and numbers that fall below 9,000. What is the pathway of recruitment? If the Minister of State strives to achieve the White Paper target of 9,500 and compliance with the working time directive, there is a mismatch in respect of the work that can be done.
Deputy Paul Kehoe; When the numbers drop, of course there will be more challenges within any organisation. The Defence Forces’ organisation is no different. Then we must prioritise the work. What are the most important pieces of work? Is it sending people overseas, aiding the civil power, aiding the civil authority, or the daily ongoing duties that members of the Defence Forces carry out? I have tasked the military management with doing a gap analysis.
Deputy James Browne; We know, since the report on the workplace climate in the Defence Forces was published last year, the level of stress that Defence Forces personnel are under. Since then, as the numbers in the Defence Forces have declined, those stress levels can only have increased, especially as the Defence Forces must work exceptionally long hours on top of that. I understand that there is still no psychiatrist in the Defence Forces. Perhaps the Minister of State can enlighten us on that.
Deputy Paul Kehoe; We are trying to recruit a psychiatrist and that is proving difficult. I understand that a proposal is coming to me shortly around that. The Deputy knows, given that he is a spokesperson in this area, that recruitment of psychiatrists is an issue not just for the Defence Forces, but for the HSE as well.