This provision will only apply in districts where insufficient nominations have been received to establish a committee.

All members are reminded that to be correctly nominated they must be nominated by two members of their district who have not joined in the nomination of any other candidate.

All other timelines for the election process remain as previously notified.

 PDFORRA have been informed that briefings have been given on the 2012 NCO promotion Competition which suggest that those who have completed the All Arms Standard NCO Course are not eligible for the competition. This position is incorrect.

Completion of the All Arms Standard NCO Course or its equivalent does meet the eligibility criteria for promotion to Sergeant rank as outlined in the NCO Promotion Agreement. Personnel may be interviewed for promotion without having completed the Corps Standard NCO module.

In the absence of a specific corps Standard NCO module for personnel of the Medical Corps and Air Corps, the All Arms Standard NCO Course is the qualifying course for promotion within those Corps at present. The filling of vacancies within the aforementioned Corps will then be subject to personnel meeting the essential qualification criteria laid down in Annex XYZ of the promotion agreement.

The 2012 NCO Promotion Competition has commenced and will operate over the coming months.

In relation to the requirement to have completed an annual medical in the 12 months before commencement, PDFORRA flagged the difficulty with this requirement given the shortage of MOs in discussions prior to completing the agreement. The Department and the Military Authorities indicated that they were aware of this problem and that it would be overcome. PDFORRA is confident that the Department and Military Authorities will correct the problem which will see members who have not been able to complete an annual medical entering the competition.

PDFORRA is advising all its members who meet all the eligibility criteria for the promotion competition save with the exception of the annual medical related criteria    to submit the application to take part in the promotion competition (and if refused to retain a copy of the application). Where members are being advised by COs that they are not eligible this advise is to be ignored as failure to apply before the last day for receipt of applications is likely to see members excluded from the competition.

The Department and the Military Authorities have an obligation to organise annual medicals and fitness test for members of the PDF. It is common knowledge that this has not been possible because of the shortage of MOs. There are a range of options that they could adopt regarding annual medical related criteria to facilitate the estimated 500 personnel who need the annual medicals. PDFORRA have made suggestions in this regard.

The bottom line is that annual medicals will have to be provided, conducted later or previous annual medicals taken into account to allow members to meet the eligibility criteria. While this is being worked on all members interested in promotion should apply to take part in the competition regardless of their ability to meet the annual medical related criteria.

“At a Pay and allowances meeting with PDFORRA this morning, it was agreed that in line with those in receipt of un-established tech posts being eligible to also receive instructors allowance that those in receipt of unestablished tech pay could receive instructors allowance when entitled to do so.  Therefore can you change their designation on the corepay system from being mutually exclusive to being allowed to be paid at the same time”.

This development has seen all those involved in the claims paid inclusive of arrears and should see demands for payments of overpayments discontinued.

If members have not been treated in accordance with the terms outline in this circular they are asked to contact their local committee or national office to resolve any outstanding matters.

Personnel are deemed under the Defence Forces Pension Schemes to have been in receipt of such additions to pay e.g. Flying Pay, Account Holders Allowance, Irish Language Teaching Allowance notwithstanding that payment may have ceased during any period of leave immediately prior to discharge.

The specific purpose of this provision is to allow for the reckonability of certain payments where they cease during pre-discharge leave.

The outstanding monies will be lodged by UNIFIL HQ into the Defence Forces 105^th Inf Bn Contingent NSE Account.  Finance Branch DOD will then facilitate the process by paying the outstanding amounts to returned 104^th Inf Bn members through the payroll.

In addition, queries have been made regarding the entitlement of members of the 104^th Inf Bn to Holiday Pay.  It has been confirmed by reference to the relevant UN Field Finance Manual that entitlement only arises if a full six month period of overseas service is completed.  No Holiday Pay is payable if an individual is repatriated prior to completion of the six month period and it cannot be pro-rated for completion of a fraction of the six month period.

 D COS (Sp) has directed that all Overage applications and Medical Derogations for all missions arising in 2012 should be forwarded to the Director of Human Resource Management Section not later than the 29th Feb 2012.

 OIC EPMO will process all overage applications and Medical Derogations for 2012.

 Further, it has been directed that all Overage applications and Medical Derogations will be responded to in a timely manner.

Last November when these barrack closures were announced our General Secretary Gerry Rooney said,   “The proposals to close further barracks make no economic sense whatever and will produce little in the way of savings for the State. It will cost at least €8m to execute these closures and the overall savings to the state when we consider unemployment and other costs will be minimal”

And yesterday we read a statement for the Minister for Defence saying, “In order to fulfil the requirement to accommodate the reserve units following the closures, my department has placed advertisements in local newspapers in Cavan, Clonmel, Mullingar and Castlebar seeking to put in place suitable accommodation as soon as possible.

Simon Devereux, Deputy General Secretary of PDFORRA said today, “we now ask the Minister to ‘sack his economic adviser’ and re-open these barracks, which should never have been closed. The barracks at Clonmel, Mullingar, Cavan and Castlebar; all have a long and proud tradition of service to the State and engagement with their local communities. And the comments of the Minister Penrose, who resigned over this issue – should perhaps be revisited and reconsidered.

Over the last fifteen years fourteen barracks have been closed out of a total of thirty. Where does this policy end? Are we going to entirely remove the very important contact between community and the Defence Forces, which is created by the availability of regional centres? It is clear that the decision to close four barracks last November was flawed and it should be immediately reversed.

Ends

2.         Rates of pay and allowances may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.    In this regard, the Government approved a 10% reduction in the salary (pay) scales and fixed allowances for new entrants recruited to the PDF with effect from 1 January 2011.  

3.         Under the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, revised occupational pension arrangements apply to military personnel who joined the PDF as new entrants on or after 1 April 2004.   Their pension scheme provides for a ‘minimum pension age’ of 50.   This means that pensions and gratuities will not normally be payable immediately on discharge / retirement unless the person serves to age 50.   Maximum retirement benefits accrue over 30 years.   Where leaving the PDF before age 50, benefits are not payable immediately but are ‘preserved’ and payable from age 60.  As in other public service pension schemes generally, benefits are based on total pensionable service and pensionable pay at discharge/retirement date (i.e. defined benefit final salary scheme) and subject to integration with the Social Insurance system. 

4.         However, as part of ongoing pension reforms, the Government has decided to introduce a new single pension scheme for all future new entrants joining the public service, including the PDF.   It is expected that this new single scheme will come into operation in 2012.   The new scheme will include a move to calculating retirement benefits based on ‘career average earnings’ rather than on ‘final salary’.   For such new entrant PDF personnel, the current minimum pension age of 50 will continue to apply.  The full details of the new single scheme, including the actual commencement date, are being finalised by Government.

5.         Therefore, the existing pension scheme terms at paragraph 3 above apply to all military personnel who joined the PDF during 2011 or before the introduction of the new single public service pension scheme in 2012. 

This Notice is subject to revision and PDFORRA will update members on the new public service pension legislation after it passes through the houses of the Oireacthas.

Paragraph 1 (l) of DFR A11 defines the Leave Year as: “a period of 12 calendar months beginning on the 1st day of January in any year”.

Paragraph 301 (b) of Admin Instr A 11 outlines the annual leave entitlements for other ranks of the Permanent Defence Force.

Paragraph 301(b) Other Ranks:
(1) Other ranks (excluding NS personnel serving afloat and Instrumentalists Defence Forces School of Music) subject to (5) below 28 Days.  (Please note that enlisted members of the PDF accrue their full annual leave entitlements w.e.f. 1st January each year).
(2) Instrumentalists Defence Forces School of Music, 31 Days.
(3) Other Ranks (NS, serving afloat), 43 Days.
(4) A recruit shall not normally be granted annual leave until he or she has completed his or her recruit training. In very exceptional circumstances, however, a recruit may be granted annual leave by his or her commanding officer for a period not exceeding 7 days.
(5) With the exception of Naval Service personnel serving afloat and Instrumentalists Defence Forces School of Music, 1 additional annual leave day after 5 years service, and a further 1 additional annual leave day after 12 years service.

Appeals Procedure – Annual/Special Leave: PDFORRA members experiencing difficulties in availing of their Annual Leave entitlements can appeal the decision to a higher authority by completing form: Appeals Procedure – Annual/Special Leave: ANNEX M to Admin Instr A 11.