69. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps he will take to screen members of the Defence Forces for misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, or racist attitudes that could make them a threat to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28213/24]

I thank the Deputy for his question.

There is no place in the Defence Forces for an individual those attitudes.

I am advised by the Military Authorities that the conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF), including the methodologies used for assessments, are subject to continuous review and modification having regard to the needs of the organisation and the development of best practices.

Psychometric testing was introduced in 2012 to form part of the induction and candidate assessment process for General Service Recruits. In the intervening time, I have been advised that the Military Authorities have revised the approach to psychometric testing on a number of occasions and extended its use to the Cadetship and Apprenticeship Competitions. The result of a psychometric test is one of a number of factors utilised in determining overall suitability for admission to the PDF.

I have been further advised, as recommended by the IRG report, that the Defence Forces is piloting the use of a Cultural Capability Assessment test as part of the selection process for a number of bespoke competitions and will take learnings from the pilot for wider usage in the future.

In addition, all candidates must receive security clearance to be enlisted or inducted into the Defence Forces.

Security vetting has a number of layers and is conducted in conjunction with An Garda Síochána. The process has changed and has been modernised in recent years and is kept under ongoing review.

In line with the commitment to a cultural transformation programme and ensuring that all serving members, fully recognise and live by the values of the Defence Forces, an Organisational Culture Standing Committee (OCSC), which was conveyed by the Chief of Staff in November 2021, is driving and coordinating the process of cultural change within the Defence Forces. Similar structures have also been established in all Defence Forces Formations.

Since the launch of the OCSC, a number of culture change projects have been developed and implemented. These include,

• Sexual Ethics and Responsible Relationship (SERR) workshops. These workshops are ongoing since September 2023 and are mandatory for all personnel to attend;

• Briefing packages to all Defence Forces instructors and students;

• Gender, Diversity, Unconscious Bias Training;

• A series of videos representing the profiles of female serving personnel;

• The amplification of the ‘It Stops Now’ campaign.

As part of the year round performance management process, each member of the Defence Forces also receives an annual appraisal from their Commanding Officer, in accordance with the criteria laid down in the relevant Defence Forces Regulations.

This document captures an individual’s conduct of their duties during the year. For Enlisted Personnel it also captures the conduct rating for the individual. Annual appraisals assess an individual’s professional attitudes towards their duties, superiors and subordinates and professional conduct.

Furthermore, I have been advised that Occupational Personality Questionnaire assessments have been recently piloted as part of Senior Officer Promotion Competitions.

In addition to progressing cultural change within the Defence Forces, the selection processes will be kept under on-going review to ensure that they deliver an appropriate methodology to determine suitability for entry to the Defence Forces.