277. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence the number of staff, whole-time equivalents employed in her Department on 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63347/26]

280. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence the number of staff, whole-time equivalents employed in each agency or regulatory body under her Department’s remit who were considered to be public service personnel in June 2016 and in June 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63449/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 280 together.

There are three bodies under the aegis of my Department; the Army Pensions Board, established under the Army Pensions Act 1927, the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, established pursuant to the provisions of the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004 and the External Oversight Body of the Defence Forces (EOB), which was placed on a Statutory basis on 1 December 2024.

The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body. The Army Pensions Act 1927 specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. The Secretary of the Army Pensions Board is an Executive Officer in my Department.

The staffing level of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces is 1 Investigation Officer (Assistant Principal Officer), 1 Case Manager (Higher Executive Officer) and 1 Administrative Assistant (Executive Officer).

The External Oversight Body (EOB) was established under the Defence (Amendment) Act 2024. Under the Act, the EOB shall consist of no fewer than 7 members and no greater than 9 members consisting of a chairperson, between 5 and 7 ordinary members, and the Secretary General of the Department of Defence who is an ex officio member. A total of seven civil servants (1 Principal Officer, 1 Assistant Principal Officer, 1 Higher Executive Officer, 1 Administrative Officer and 3 Executive Officers) provide administrative support to the EOB.

The number of whole-time equivalent civil servants in my Department at the end of June 2016 was 340.19 compared to 493.94 at the end of June 2026. There has been no change in staffing numbers in the Office of the Ombudsman or the Army Pensions board between 2016 and 2026.