136. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications to join the Defence Forces that have been received in 2026 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53696/26]

As Minister for Defence, I am fully committed to increasing and strengthening recruitment in the Permanent Defence Force.

I am pleased that there continues to be very strong interest in a career in the Defence Forces with a total of 16,510 applications received in 2025 and 10,252 applications received to end May 2026.  The challenge now for the Defence Forces is to convert the high level of applications to inductions. A draft Strategic Workforce Plan prepared by the Defence Forces has recently been submitted to me for consideration. As the Deputy will be aware, the aim of this process is to provide a pathway to the achievement of a strength of 11,500, inclusive of civilian personnel, commensurate with Level of Ambition 2.

Increases in application numbers and in the overall strength of the PDF, over the last three years, demonstrate that the key enabling measures which the Government has introduced to support and drive Defence Forces recruitment and retention are yielding results. There also continues to be significant progress on pay with all personnel benefiting from a further pay award last month.

Opportunities for careers in the Defence Forces remain open via a diverse range of ongoing competitions including general service recruitment, re-entry schemes and multiple direct entry competitions for specialist roles.

Last year saw a modest, though significant, growth in the overall strength with a total of 790 inductions achieved- the highest in twenty years - and the number of personnel who discharged was at its lowest level in more than five years. I am determined to build on the expansion in personnel numbers achieved and have set a target of 850 inductions for 2026. The Military Authorities advise that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,823 personnel on the 31 May, the latest date for which this figure is available.

A new recruitment platform 'Resumo' has been implemented by the Defence Forces, with inbuilt data analysis. I am informed that attrition rates within the recruitment process includes a number of applicants who submit applications but do not engage with the process thereafter, or do not present for the psychometric/ fitness/ medical testing stages or vetting. Additionally some applicants do not meet the eligibility criteria set out in the competition terms and conditions, do not achieve security clearance, or do not pass the various stages of the recruitment process.

Further work to increase induction capacity is being undertaken as part of the Strategic Workforce Planning process. The Joint Induction Training Centre in Gormanston Barracks is being expanded and will eventually facilitate the induction of up to 900 recruits per annum.  An allowance for Officer Instructors was introduced last summer targeted at increasing training capacity and upskilling these Officers.

Underpinning these and other measures, I ensured that Budget 2026 provided a record allocation of €1.49 billion for the Defence Sector, an increase of €145 million on 2025. These funds include provision for the recruitment of a net 400 additional PDF members per annum.

Significant strides continue to be made on a number of fronts and the allocation of record levels of expenditure, coupled with the initiatives I have outlined here, is illustrative of my commitment to build on the growth in recruitment achieved in recent years.