Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2023
57. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will engage with representative bodies of the Defence Forces to discuss concerns regarding patrol duty allowances, the Naval Service tax credit and the sea service commitment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4805/23]
View answerAs Tánaiste and Minister of Defence, I look forward to meeting with the Representative Associations for the Permanent Defence Force and engaging with them on matters that fall within the scope of representation. This could include the matters that the Deputy has raised, should the Representative Associations indicate a wish to discuss these matters.
I would like to assure the Deputy that work is currently ongoing within my Department on these matters.
Firstly, on Patrol Duty Allowances, the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommended that there should be a review of existing sea-going allowances to consider their replacement with less complex sea-going duty measures. Work has been ongoing on this by my Department in consultation with the Defence Forces management. A review has been conducted and a submission has been made to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The review took into account material that the Representative Associations had submitted previously in relation to an increase in Patrol Duty Allowance. Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this matter.
Secondly, a sea-going naval personnel tax credit was introduced in the 2019 Finance Act, to incentivise sea going duties for members of the Naval Service. The tax credit was initially available as a temporary measure in the 2020 year of assessment only. It has since been extended to the 2023 tax year.
Finally, a sea-going service commitment scheme for Naval Service personnel came into effect from 1 January 2021. The Scheme is aimed at retaining experienced personnel and incentivising those personnel to undertake sea going duties. The scheme was initially open to applications from Officers and enlisted personnel in the Naval Service, with a minimum of three years’ service, serving on board a Naval Vessel at enlisted ranks of Able Rating or above, or Officer ranks of Ensign and above. Following a review of the Scheme in 2022, the eligibility criteria to apply has been reduced from 3 years to 1 year's service.
My Department continues to engage with the Representative Associations on all matters within the scope of representation via the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. This is the key avenue available for the Representative Associations to raise matters of concern to their members with my Department.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Conciliation & Arbitration Scheme is the mechanism for addressing industrial issues within the Defence sector. In line with the Irish model of industrial relations, it is a voluntary mechanism which provides structures for management and staff to engage on collective issues that may arise. These structures have helped to maintain positive industrial relations in the sector over a number of years.
