ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, MR. MICHAEL SMITH T.D.,
TO THE 8th ANNUAL DELEGATE CONFERENCE OF THE REPRESENTATIVE ASSOCIATION OF
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (RACO)
Mr. President, Chief of Staff, Secretary General, assembled delegates and guests, I welcome this opportunity to address you here this morning. I am conscious that I am addressing you early in what is going to be a busy day for you so I will not keep you for too long. In the White Paper on Defence, published last February, the Government set out the national strategy for defence for the period up to 2010, based on the evolving national and international security environment. A major objective of this strategy is the reshaping of our Defence Forces and the reallocation of resources to new equipment for the overseas peace support role in the context of modern peacekeeping and crisis management. A White Paper on Defence was a policy initiative for which senior military management and your own Association, among others, had been pressing, over many years. I believe that history will look back favourably on it as the catalyst that led to the strategic development of the Permanent Defence Force into the twenty first century. The debate about the size of the Defence Forces is over for the life of this White Paper and from now on the Defence Forces can plan for the future secure in the knowledge that no further reorganisations are planned.
The White Paper includes an investment programme for the Defence Forces involving an additional £250 million in new equipment and infrastructure. This equipment will be of considerable benefit to the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps in carrying out their roles at home and overseas. Investment of this scale confirms that the White Paper represents a serious response by the Government to the evolving international security environment while taking account of the sustained case advanced by the military authorities to develop the Defence Forces into a world class military organisation capable of carrying out the roles laid down by Government both at home and abroad. I am not going to stand here before you and pretend that the problems of the past never happened. However, they are the problems of the past and I am very pleased at the positive way in which the Defence Forces under the Chief of Staff have now set about implementing the recommendations of the White Paper. With the resources that have now become available, we face a brighter future. With the major issues settled as Government policy, we have a policy platform on which the Department and the Defence Forces can combine to build a successful future. With the advent of Partnership, we have the potential to avoid the misunderstandings of the past.
However, as your General Secretary has said yesterday, we must each appreciate that the perspective of the other is valid, and that a difference in views does not make one right and the other wrong. RACO must accept that many of the tensions which it purports to regret are, in fact, an inevitable outcome of the Association's approach to the conduct of representative business. In that context I sense that in negotiations there is a tendency to personalise issues. We are now in an era of consensus and partnership and this must be recognised in dealings between the Association and the official side. The past twelve months have been a very busy time in the area of representation and I am pleased to note that there were some significant developments on the Conciliation and Arbitration front. At last year's ADC, I voiced my support for your association's wish to have an input into national pay agreements and I told you that I had asked my officials to initiate discussions with the Departments of Finance and the Taoiseach with a view to enabling RACO to have a voice in the national discussions. I am very pleased to see that my initiative has led to a successful conclusion, and I am sure that your officials will agree that the mechanism that was developed has enabled RACO to have a meaningful involvement in the process. I understand that this afternoon your Association will consider signing up to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. While not wishing to pre-empt your deliberations, I can assure you that if the decision is favourable, I will ask the staff of Finance Branch to make every effort to have the arrears paid before the end of the year. The PPF is an exciting and challenging programme, one which offers a range of opportunities to employers and employees. It is clear that national programmes have delivered real and significant increases in living standards. It is, therefore, in everyone's overriding interest that this process should continue. No alternative vehicle for negotiating pay and conditions exists which could possibly deliver as much in real terms. The Partnership approach to pay determination has been a great success for over a decade. National agreements have generated real gains in take-home pay since they began in l987. For example, the tax and pay elements of the Partnership 2000 agreement increased average real incomes by some 15%. But Partnership has helped the wider Irish community - almost 300,000 additional jobs have been created in this country since 1997 and unemployment is below 4% - did we think we would ever see the day? As well as the pay and tax changes the PPF also contains an innovation in public service pay - that is the establishment of the Public Service Benchmarking Body. This Body, which has already been set up, will examine the pay of public sector employees and compare them to the private sector. The Body, under the Chairmanship of The Honourable Mr. Justice Quirke, has been asked to report by end June 2002. This is a very tight deadline for a complex task but it should bring some clarity to the whole question of setting levels of public service pay in the context of the private sector. The Benchmarking Body's recommendations will be grounded in a coherent and broadly-based comparison between public service jobs and jobs across the economy. The results of the role review and pay research which the Body will undertake will take into account differences between the public service and the private sector, and between the various public service groups, in working conditions, the organisation of work, conditions of employment and other relevant benefits including security of tenure and superannuation arrangements. In addition, the Benchmarking Body will have regard to the need to recruit and retain staff, the need to ensure ongoing modernisation across the public service, the need to have regard to equity between the public and private sectors and to underpin the country's competitiveness and continued sustainable economic prosperity. One of the groups to be examined will be the members of the Defence Forces. There are always difficulties with trying to compare Public Service occupations such as the Defence Forces with the private sector. However, the benchmarking body represents a genuine attempt to set the pay for the public service in the context of the whole economy. This forum will provide your Association with an opportunity to make your case in relation to the pay levels of your members. The Body is an open independent way of examining the thorny issue of setting appropriate pay levels and is, I hope, a step forward in the way we determine pay in the public service. I am sure that you will be active in presenting your case.
On a related matter I understand that the Commission on Public Service Pensions is expected to submit its report to the Minister for Finance in the next few months. It is hoped that this report will go some way to addressing the various pension anomalies and aberrations that have evolved across the public service over many years.
Another feature of the PPF is the development of partnership arrangements in the Defence Forces. This innovation will present a challenge to all of us. It is essential that we get partnership right, and if this means making haste slowly, then this is a small price to pay for a long term advantage. Some training has already taken place, further seminars and information briefings have been arranged for later in the month, and, all going well, the National Partnership Forum and Steering Committee will be in place by the end of this year. This will then be followed by the finalisation of arrangements and the setting up of partnership committees at local level. Partnership is not intended to replace, or be a substitute for, the Conciliation Council of the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme, or for other existing committee arrangements within the Defence Forces. The Partnership process will complement the existing mechanisms and it is envisaged
that many issues of a local nature will be successfully resolved through the partnership process. It is anticipated also that as the partnership process develops, it will progressively improve the understanding of, and approach to, the representative process. The continuous recruitment policy that I introduced has been of considerable benefit to the Defence Forces. However, as we are all aware, staff recruitment and retention difficulties are no longer just public service issues. These problems are characteristic of the booming economy and are affecting employers throughout the public and private sectors. In such an environment, we need to have flexible recruitment policies so that we can get the calibre of people that we need. I am conscious that the shortage of junior officers in the Defence Forces is causing some difficulties. I believe that this matter requires a creative and innovative response. Among the initiatives that must be examined in this context are graduate recruitment, short service commissions and a more active programme of commissioning from the ranks. A key recommendation of the Gleeson Commission was that a mechanism be developed under which officers of exceptional ability might expect to reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while still in their thirties. I am convinced that this would help to reduce the loss to the private sector of experienced officers with skills that are in demand. The expertise that these personnel take with them was expensive to acquire and is very difficult to replace. I believe that the upcoming review of the promotion scheme will give us an opportunity to examine the extent to which the current scheme has met the Commission's recommendation. A matter that was referred to in both the White Paper and the Defence Forces Review Implementation Plan was the development of an Integrated Personnel Management system for the Defence Forces. While preliminary work has been carried out on this project, it is important that we bring this work to a conclusion, so that we will be able to offer the kind of structured, developmental, fulfilling and challenging career paths that will attract cadets of the high calibre that our Defence Forces need. Among the issues which your representatives have brought to my notice during the year is the shortage of medical officers, both doctors and dentists. In common with other areas of the health sector, it is proving difficult to recruit medical personnel. However, the Department continues, in consultation with the Director of the Medical Corps, to seek to secure further medical personnel. In cases where medical officers are not available, arrangements are made with local civilian practitioners to ensure the appropriate level of medical care is available to members of the Defence Forces.
I want to say a few words about the special studies on the Air Corps and Naval Service undertaken by Price Waterhouse Management Consultants. As you know, Air Corps and Naval Service managements each submitted a draft Implementation Plan to me reflecting the policy parameters laid down in the White Paper. I have approved the Naval Service Implementation Plan which is now ready for implementation. I have also approved, in principle, the proposed new organisation set out in the Air Corps Plan and other elements of this Plan are under active consideration. The necessary work on amending the relevant regulations is almost complete. As I have stated at your Association's conferences in the past, and on many other occasions, I regard it as essential that the Representative Associations be given every opportunity to express the views and concerns of your members before the plans that I have mentioned are finalised and implemented. This process has now reached the stage that allows me to go forward by implementing the new organisations for both the Air Corps and Naval Service. This I will do without undue delay. There will, of course, be opportunity to make adjustments to the plans to deal with any matters which might arise during the implementation phase. The implementation of the Air Corps and Naval Service plans will be supported by an unprecedented investment programme. About £55 million over three years will be spent on the purchase of new aircraft for the Air Corps, with special priority being given to the procurement of new medium range helicopters. Over £20 million is being spent on a second new state of the art fishery patrol vessel for the Naval Service, similar to L.E. Róisín which was commissioned in 1999, with others to follow as the present fleet come up for replacement. Progress is being made in the acquisition of medium range helicopters with six firms responding to the first stage of the tender competition. These are currently being evaluated by a civil/military project team, assisted by an independent consultant, and those firms whose aircraft meet the basic requirements will be invited to participate in the final stage of the tender competition. While the rules of procurement will have to be adhered to, I will ensure that no time is lost in moving the process forward and taking delivery of suitable aircraft at the first opportunity. The future development of the Air Corps, to a great extent, will rely on its ability to train new pilots. I see the next step in the procurement programme for the Air Corps as the replacement of the Marchetti and Fouga aircraft for training purposes. This has to be seen as a top priority. I understand that a submission has been sent recently by the Air Corps to the military authorities with their recommendations in this regard. Once the papers are passed to the Department the matter will receive immediate attention. I want next to turn to the tragic accident in Tramore last year. All of the Safety Recommendations set out in the Air Accident Report which call for action by the Department and the Defence Forces are being considered as a matter of priority with a view to their immediate implementation. A number of recommendations which call for action by the Department of Marine and Natural Resources are being closely examined in that Department. A Safety Recommendation in relation to potential hazards to rescuers associated with sites of serious aircraft accidents is a matter for a number of Departments and Agencies. I have put in place arrangements to monitor progress in regard to the implementation of the recommendations. In this regard, an initial meeting of a Working Group was held in the Department of Defence on the 5th of October, 2000, involving representatives from my Department, including the Defence Forces, as well as from the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources. This Group will meet on a regular basis in order to ensure the speedy implementation of the Safety Recommendations set out in the Report. Progress reports from the various bodies involved will be presented and reviewed, following which composite progress reports will be presented to me at regular intervals.
While we should refrain from further comment in advance of the findings of the Military Court of Inquiry, one particular issue that has been mentioned a number of times concerns the provision of after hours Air Traffic Control cover at Waterford Airport on the day of the tragic accident. As this matter is continuing to cause confusion, I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight insofar as the Department of Defence is concerned. In January 1999, the only issue unresolved between my Department and Waterford Airport was the level of financial consideration to be paid for the provision of this service. In March 1999 the Manager proposed terms of pay which were acceptable to my Department. On 25 June 1999, my Department received sanction from the Department of Finance to pay these rates and the airport management was immediately informed accordingly. While it was indicated that staff negotiations at the airport were not yet completed, the assurances already given that after hours cover would be provided with effect from 1 July 1999 were reiterated by airport management.
In my period as Minister I have been struck, when meeting officers, by the frequency with which they spoke of the perception of excessive involvement of civil servants in my Department in the day to day administration of the Defence Forces. I believe that the SMI process of reform across the public service and the White Paper address this issue. Civil Servants now, correctly, focus on the range of policy aspects of defence while military management has been delegated a greater degree of responsibility.
With this delegation has come a new challenge for your members, as managers of the Defence Forces. It is now up to you to ensure that the challenges of the future, including the successful implementation of the White Paper with its investment programme, are fully met. In doing this, I do not think that as an organisation you can continue to maintain a distinction between yourselves as members of the Defence Forces and as managers with responsibility for many of the issues which you raise. In short, in many cases, success or failure lies in your own hands. I next wish to address the Government's policy for overseas missions. The White Paper on Defence sets out key elements of Government policy on overseas peace support operations. It recognises the important role that these operations play as an element of Ireland's foreign and security policy and as a demonstration of support for the United Nations and the conduct of international relations according to the UN Charter. This is a primary example of Ireland's broader international policy providing opportunities for members of the Defence Forces as a national organisation to participate on the international stage. Our commitment to collective security is pursued through the United Nations which has the primary role to play in the maintenance of international peace and security. Ireland has a long and proud record of participation in UN/International peacekeeping and this is to continue with involvement in international missions in the cause of world peace. With regard to overseas peace support operations generally, all operations will from Ireland's perspective be UN mandated or authorised. Following the decisions taken at the Cologne European Council in June 1999, the Helsinki European Council adopted the concept of an EU Headline Goal for the provision of military self-sustaining forces of 50,000-60,000 personnel to undertake the full range of so-called Petersberg tasks. These forces, to be available in 2003, are to be capable of being deployed at 60 days notice for up to one year and are required to have the necessary command, control and intelligence capabilities, as well as logistics and other combat support services. Ireland's contribution will be significant in keeping with our traditional level of overseas peace support operations. In the planning work being undertaken in the EU in preparation for the Capabilities Commitment Conference next week, Ireland has indicated its intention to commit up to 850 members of the Defence Forces to the EU Headline Goal within the United Nations Standby Arrangements System level of 850. This commitment will take the form of a light infantry battalion of up to 750 personnel along with a specialist Army Ranger Wing platoon of around 40 in addition to headquarters and other elements. The recruitment and modernisation programme which I have already mentioned will be crucial to meeting our commitments in this area. Ireland joined Partnership for Peace (PfP) on 1 December 1999. Ireland's Individual Partnership Programme (IPP) for the year 2001, which has been developed jointly by the civil and military branches of the Department of Defence in consultation with the NATO International Secretariat, will focus on the enhancement of current skills and expertise in such areas as operational and generic planning for peacekeeping and peace support, communications, command and control, operational procedures and logistics. This will take the form of participation at appropriate meetings, seminars and training courses. Ireland intends to participate in the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP) with a view to enhancing interoperability with our PfP Partners in such areas as tactics, operational cohesion, logistics and language training. The aim is to create the conditions in which different contingents can work together efficiently and effectively. You are all aware that Ireland was recently given the singular honour of a seat on the United Nations Security Council. At the time, the Taoiseach said that one of the cornerstones of our campaign to secure the seat had been Ireland's distinctive role in UN peacekeeping. Today, on behalf of the Government, I want to again express my appreciation of the role that the Defence Forces have played in UN service over the years, all of which has helped our country to secure this prestigious place in international affairs. The Defence Forces have gained enormously from the UN experience, in terms of training, esprit de corps and operational experience, while our reputation in overseas peace support missions is second to none. I am confident that our services will be in demand in the international arena for the foreseeable future. Last month I announced that the time was now ripe to proceed with the establishment of a legislative Ombudsman for the Defence Forces. This announcement fulfilled the commitment made in the 1997 Fianna Fail election manifesto. I indicated that my officials would shortly be initiating discussions with both Representatives Associations with a view to defining the powers and scope of a military Ombudsman that would meet the needs of the various parties. I emphasised that in establishing this office we must ensure that we provide a credible grievance system which is fair to all members of the Defence Forces while at the same time safeguarding the operational flexibility of the Defence Forces. I understand that a preliminary meeting has already taken place with your officials to discuss this matter. I am aware that your association has expressed reservations about an ombudsman. However, I must point out in all honesty that I have been surprised at the strength of the demand for this proposal from ordinary soldiers. Put simply, over the years the ordinary soldier has lost faith in the capacity of his superiors to act with complete impartiality in resolving grievances. It is a fact that this feeling – whether justified or not – is widespread and must be addressed.
Let me make it clear that I am not seeking to impose the powers and scope of an Ombudsman on you - rather I wish to see the Representative Associations agree among themselves as to the scope and powers that the Office of Ombudsman should possess. I see this as a practical application of the partnership concept - one that will test both Representative Associations' commitment to partnership in a real sense. In the longer term, I see partnership giving us an opportunity to develop a more integrated relationship between the various parties.The challenge now is to build on that foundation, together, and to create what the White Paper aspires to: a world-class defence organisation. We have been provided with a major and unprecedented boost for the Defence Forces in the form of an investment programme second to none. Let us make it a success. Let everyone know that it is a success. Show the Government and the taxpayer that the Defence Forces provide real value for money, real value for the resources we receive. The future of the Defence Forces is best secured by emphasising our successes and achievements.
Go raibh maith aghaibh. |
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| Related Speeches |
3 July 2006 Speech by Willie O’Dea, T.D., Minister for Defence at the commissioning ceremony for the 81st Cadet Class.29 May 2006 Statement by the Minister for Defence on the International Day of the Peacekeeper 2006, 29/05/0619 May 2006 Statement by the Minister for Defence Adjournment Debate – Seanad Eireann, 17 MAY 2006.4 May 2006 Speech by Mr. Willie O’Dea, T.D., Minister for Defence at the review of 95th Infantry Battalion due to leave on peacekeeping duty with UNMIL, 04/05/066 April 2006 Address by Minister Willie O'Dea at a 1916 monument unveiling ceremony. 06/04/064 November 2005 Speech by Mr. Tom Kitt, T.D., Minister for State for Defence at the review of 94th Infantry Battalion Due to leave on peacekeeping duty with UNMILON4 November 2005 Speech by Minister for Defence Mr. Willie O’Dea TD At the opening of the EUROMIL conference South Court Hotel Limerick5 October 2005 Speech by Minister for Defence Mr. Willie O'Dea T.D.,
at the PDFORRA Annual Delegate Conference.12 September 2002 Commisioning ceremony for Naval Service cadets - 40th Class25 April 2002 Opening refurbished Headquarters Block, Ballymullen Barracks, Tralee4 April 2002 Launch of Report of External Advisory Committee on harassment, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment in the Defence Forces21 March 2002 Minister's speech to a Select Committee on the Defence Estimates for 20023 March 2002 Opening of FCA Headquarters, Templemore19 December 2001 Opening NCO's Mess East, Curragh22 November 2001 Commissioning ceremony for Air Corps cadets - 20th Class18 November 2001 75th anniversary of the Army Equitation School15 November 2001 Review of 1st Contingent UNMEE bound for Eritrea8 November 2001 Minister's address to RACO's 9th Annual Delegate Conference
25 October 2001 Unveiling of memorial in Tibnin, South Lebanon24 October 2001 Statement to a Select Dáil Committee seeking approval for the despatch of a contingent to Eritrea18 September 2001 Tanaiste's speech at the Naming Ceremony for L.E. Niamh18 September 2001 Minister's speech at the Commissioning Ceremony for L.E. Niamh17 September 2001 Opening swimming pool/gymnasium in the Curragh8 September 2001 Minister's address to RDFRA's 8th Annual Delegate Conference7 September 2001 Review of 7th Contingent (UNTAET) bound for East Timor24 July 2001 Review of 5th Transport Company (KFOR) bound for Kosovo2 July 2001 Cadet commissioning ceremony - 76th Class12 June 2001 Minister's speech to a Select Committee on the Defence Estimates for 200122 May 2001 Review of 6th Contingent (UNTAET) bound for East Timor17 May 2001 Adjournment Debate re Clancy Barracks1 May 2001 Seanad Adjournment Debate re Gormanston9 April 2001 Taoiseach's speech in Templemore at the review of troops bound for Lebanon4 April 2001 24th Amendment to the Constitution (Treaty of Nice)22 March 2001 Opening new signals building in Cathal Brugha Barracks23 January 2001 Review of 5th Contingent (UNTAET) bound for East Timor25 November 2000 Launch of Report of the Ministerial Steering Group on Reserve Defence Force20 November 2000 Capabilities Commitment Conference, Brussels, 20th November 200015 November 2000 Minister's address to RACO's 8th Annual Delegate Conference10 November 2000 Opening of Hanger No. 5, Casement Aerodrome18 October 2000 Review of 88th Infantry Battalion (UNIFIL) bound for Lebanon11 October 2000 Minister's address to PDFORRA's 9th Annual Delegate Conference7 September 2000 Naval cadet commissioning ceremony - 38th Class |
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