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Tánaiste declares Naval Service 'not acceptable' and calls for 'radical' recruitment drive

The Journal revealed on Wednesday that the Irish Naval Service will have just two ships available to go to sea until the new year.

THE TÁNAISTE HAS admitted that the state of the Irish Naval Service is “not acceptable” as only two ships can go out to sea and claimed that “conservative” hiring policies need to end. 

Micheál Martin, who is the Minister for both Defence and Foreign Affairs, said that there needs now to be a “radical” rethink of how the Irish Defence Forces recruit as the retention crisis continues despite multiple Government reassurances. 

Martin was speaking at an event in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin yesterday as US military and political figures gather this weekend for the Aer Lingus College Football clash between Notre Dame and Navy in the Aviva on Saturday evening.

The Journal revealed on Wednesday that the Irish Naval Service will have just two ships available to go to sea until the new year and sources have said that considerations are being made to have a reduced fleet in 2024 due to the ongoing staffing crisis.

The ships available to go on patrol will be the LÉ Samuel Beckett and LÉ William Butler Yeats – it is understood a third ship may be put on standby.

Martin admitted today that it was not acceptable that the Naval Service was below the required amount of personnel to function. 

He claimed that many people had left the Naval Service and took up jobs in pharmaceutical and other industry in the Cork Harbour area.  

“That’s not, in my view, an acceptable position where we are in terms of the optimal strength of the naval forces at the moment,” he said.

Martin denied that the Department of Defence was recruiting without considering the problem of retention – this is a key criticism of representative bodies.

“For example, well over 1,000 people apply annually, the conversion rate is very low in terms of inductions, and that, to me, is something that there has to be a less conservative approach,” he said.

‘No brainer’

Martin said that one key initiative to quicken the amount of members being admitted to the Naval Service was the removal of psychometric tests. 

These tests are completed either online or in writing and are designed to determine the aptitude and intellectual capability of a candidate to work in the service. Public service jobs such as the military, gardaí and nursing all have the tests in their recruitment process. 

The Naval Service recently removed the need for the examination and instead focused on interviews, medical and physical tests.

“In my view, that is a no brainer,” he said. 

IMG_5148 Tánasite Micheál Martin with US Ambassador Claire Cronin, US Senators Chris Murphy and Congressman Dade Phelan today. Niall O'Connor / The Journal. Niall O'Connor / The Journal. / The Journal.

Martin said be believed that a key incentive for joining the Naval Service was foreign deployments for Naval personnel such as Operation Irini in the Mediterranean to enforce a European Union anti-arms smuggling initiative off the coast of Libya.

The Tanaiste claimed that the nature of the high employment rate in the country was causing problems attracting young candidates into the Defence Forces and the Naval Service particularly. 

He hinted at a rethinking of how the Naval Service deploys and particularly at redesigning the lengthy periods at sea for sailors.  

“I think we have to fundamentally look at how the entire Naval Service is organised in terms of rosters and in terms of time at sea and so on.

“Because the competition for younger people today is enormous in terms of the range of options that young people have and it seems to me that a more radical approach is required in terms of attracting young people in and then subsequently retaining them,” he added. 

He concluded by stating that pay has been increased for the Naval Service cadetships with earnings starting at €46,000 and enlisted personnel start on €37,000.

He did not answer a question posed by this website in regard to the Patrol Duty Allowance – which is a financial incentive paid to sailors while at sea which representative bodies have been campaigning for to be reintroduced. 

A spokesperson for the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) said it was “deeply concerning” that the Tánaiste was prioritising recruitment over retention.

RACO said that there was a failure to accept that there was no point continuing with recruitment campaigns when there were large numbers of people leaving the Irish Defence Forces.

“We keep hearing how favourable starting Defence Forces rates of pay are. But for how many hours – 40, 50, 70 hours of work?

“Until working time is accurately and transparently recorded, no value judgement or assertion can be made on the comparability or adequacy of DF pay rates, time off or allowances,” the spokesperson said. 

The RACO spokesperson also criticised the claims that full employment in the State was having an impact on recruitment.

“Does that mean we need a recession to make the defence forces attractive?

“We have to compete with other employers by becoming an employer of choice, not hope for a downturn to solve our problems,” the RACO spokesperson added. 

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:10 PM

    Everyone was falling over themselves praising David Beckham when he joined the queue for the Queens wake. Not so impressed now that he would take 10 million and be involved in any way with this fiasco of a World Cup. Money is the root of all evil.

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    Mute Maurice Bourke
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Aine O Connor: you quote is in complete. Money is not the root of all evil. The quote is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Meaning that insatiable greed that causes evil and not the money itself.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: think u missed the point there

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:07 PM

    @Maurice Bourke: yea, i think we get what she meant, Mr Pedantic.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:38 PM

    Fair play to him 6500 workers died in the making of this so called entertainment….you’d think Beckham has enough money at this stage of his life

    184
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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 5:07 PM

    @Michael Nolan: Beckham would endorse ISIS if they offered him enough money.

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    Mute Alan Byrne
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:14 AM

    @Michael Nolan: that’s not really true though….

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    Mute Mick Hyland
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:59 PM

    I’m getting tired of this guy

    136
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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:44 PM

    @Mick Hyland: Beckham? Yeah me too. Overrated as a footballer and worse as a human it turns out.

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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Nov 21st 2022, 7:38 PM

    @Gearóid MacEachaidh: Joe is self serving here. A poor stunt, in poor taste. DB along with many many others will profit from from this WC. Where was Joe and his ilk for the last 12 years since Quater were awarded the WC? Silent.

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    Mute Gearóid MacEachaidh
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:22 PM

    @2thFairy: how exactly is he self serving? And Beckham didn’t agree his deal with Qatar 12 years ago, how could he complain about Beecham taking blood money before he knew he was going to? Not to mention Lycett was still at college then. He and others have spoken out against Qatar being awarded multiple times in the last number of years. Not sure what you’re on about here to be honest.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:36 PM

    Fair play to him highlighting the terrible conditions for workers over there and the gay community’s plight … you’d think that guy Beckham would have enough money at this stage of his life ..dragged into the sunshine now…

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Nov 21st 2022, 4:02 PM

    The money was about as real as the moral high ground that Lynette is standing on.

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    Mute Cullen Cullen
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    Nov 21st 2022, 9:46 PM

    @Martin O Connell: good call

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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    Cheapest publicity stunt ever

    72
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    Mute SquintEastwood
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    Nov 21st 2022, 2:52 PM

    A fake faker…was it fake or is his publicity costing him another 10k

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    Mute Niall Sheridan
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    Nov 21st 2022, 3:37 PM

    Fun he is – fool he isn’t!

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    Mute Nirvana Barbarossa
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    Nov 21st 2022, 10:53 PM

    Gay issues should not take over the world cup, especially as they dont watch it.

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    Mute Jonathan Nolan
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    Nov 22nd 2022, 12:48 AM

    What if Beckham was to donate the 10 million he is earning from his appearance in Qatar to a gay charity. Would all be forgiven then I wonder?

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