asked the Minister for Defence if he has finalised arrangements for the recruitment of women to the Defence Forces.

33.

asked the Minister for Defence if he will furnish information concerning the initial intake of recruits, duties to be performed and eventual total recruitment of the proposed Women's Army Corps.

34.

asked the Minister for Defence the steps that have been taken to recruit women to the Defence Forces; if, in fact, any women have yet been recruited; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33 and 34 together.

I would refer the Deputies to the reply given by me on 8 December 1977 to Questions Nos. 23 and 24. I expect to have the first report of the committee shortly.

With regard to Question No. 33 concerning women in the Army, would the Minister give an assurance that women would be in a position to rise to the topmost ranks and that there would not be any cut-off position?

That is a separate question.

The question relates to the duties to be performed. I am asking whether the duties to be performed include the possibility of women doing duty in the topmost ranks of the Army. That is a fair question.

My interpretation is that the question refers to the recruits.

It refers to the duties to be performed after they have been recruited.

The Deputy is asking a question about lady recruits rising to the top ranks of the Army. I am not entering into argument. The Deputy is making a habit of asking questions which are only remotely associated with the original. I want to point out that the Standing Order does not permit that and I have had complaints from other Deputies that their questions have been on the Order Paper for a long time and are not being reached due to my permitting too much laxity in the asking of supplementary questions.

It is a very legitimate question. What duties are to be performed by women in the Army and do those duties include service in the topmost ranks?

I am making a ruling that it is not a relevant question.

You must have something to hide.

Can I take it that no positive steps have been taken to recruit women into the Army?

I would have thought that all Deputies were aware of that. The Government have indicated their commitment to the establishment of a Women's Corps. I have already informed the House that I have a departmental committee examining all the complex matters which must be fully considered before decisions are taken on what form the new corps will take. There are various questions that have to be answered and possible changes in legislation. None of these matters has been decided yet. The committee have not yet reported to me and I expect the first report some time next week. I will then examine the recommendations for the implementation of my commitment to the establishment of a Women's Corps. There is no question of any recruits having been taken in yet. I must examine all aspects and due notice will be given at the correct time.

Will women be recruited into the ranks and into the officer corps?

I cannot anticipate what my decisions will be following receipt of the report, but the Deputy can take it that the officer ranks will not be barred to women. Of course they will not. It is my intention that the officer ranks and other ranks will be open to women. I will not elaborate any further on what form the new corps might take.

Would that include the topmost ranks?

It is pointless to answer questions in anticipation of what I might decide next week or within the next few months.

Has the Minister made up his mind as to how the Women's Corps is to be organised? Is it to be a corps centralised in one location or are sections to be distributed among the different Army commands?

Perhaps I am not making myself very clear to the House, a Cheann Comhairle.

That question is complete repetition.

It is not possible for me to answer specific questions of the type put to me today and on the previous occasion when there were questions about the Women's Corps until such time as I have made decisions in relation to this matter. I have set up a departmental committee comprising military personnel and civil servants from the Department of Defence to make recommendations as to what changes will be necessary and how best we can implement this commitment. The decisions of the Government will be based on the recommendations arising from the report of the committee. I expect to have this report next week and I would ask Deputies to bear with me until I have the report and have examined it and have made some announcements as to the direction in which I am going. Then I will be very happy to answer questions and at that point I will be asking the support of all Deputies in encouraging the good women of Ireland to join our forces. This will not arise until possibly, the autumn. If my plan of campaign goes as I hope it will, I expect in the autumn to be able to recruit women into the Army.

Will the report be made public?

I do not think so. The decisions which I make will certainly be published.

Is there a danger that this report will recommend that women should not be recruited to the Army?

Question No. 35.

Could I ask the Minister for an assurance on that point?

We need not descend into the realms of the ridiculous.

Is there any possibility that the decision in principle will be reversed?

I have indicated the Government's firm commitment to the establishment of a Women's Corps.