Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07
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Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (SF), Cork South-Central

The Minister has given indications in the past and she has talked about addressing this issue but it has been six months since she took office and ultimately nothing has changed. Cadets are still paid well below the minimum wage. That is damaging to recruitment and retention. Their pay is the lowest in the Defence Forces at €503 per week. That compares with €550 for a recruit. Considering that is weekly pay, there is a considerable distance between the two. Recruit pay rises to €627, which is considerably above that €503. They remain on this pay for the entirety of their first year, earning 40.7% less than enlisted counterparts. This has a knock-on impact on pension contributions so it has a whole-career impact. This is undermining recruitment and retention. These are the future leaders of the Defence Forces. It is crucially important they are supported. I understand RACO has said it has been left with little alternative but to recommend that cadets enlist as a recruit in the Defence Forces before entering a cadetship, which unnecessarily lengthens the progress of their career.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-07