Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the permanent and reserve Defence Forces recruitment campaign announced in County Waterford in March 2014; and the number of applications received by county to date in 2014.
REPLY (Minister Simon Coveney):
As of 28 November 2014 (the latest date for which figures are available), there had been 7,303 applications for the Permanent Defence Force and 2,146 applications for the Reserve Defence Force. 443 recruits have been attested to the Permanent Defence Force of which 380 remain in training. 152 recruits have been inducted to the Reserve Defence Force for the same period.
With regard to the number of applications received by county, I am advised by the military authorities that this information is not readily available and due to the volume of applications received it is not practical to produce it without adverse impact on other necessary work.