Important Defence conference set for Slieve Russell

A three-day military representative association conference will take place in Cavan next month.

The Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) Annual Delegate Conference will take placer at the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell from May 14-16.

In the past the event has provided an important forum for discussions centred on improving conditions for members of the armed forces, such on pay, allowances and other conditions.

Last year, at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath, one of the main talking points was the need for recruitment.

At the end of 2015, the Defence Forces had 9,140 personnel. That figure now sits around 7,500, and according to a panel of military experts from Ireland and other countries, a minimum of 11,500 people is required to keep security operations going both at home and abroad.

PDFORRA last met in Cavan back in 2017, when issues even then centred on concerns over pay, allowances, recruitment, retention, accommodation and the working time directive. That same year PDFORRA finalised negotiations under the Lansdowne Road agreement, negotiated with the Departments of Defence and Public Expenditure and Reform, that saw significant adjustments to the payscales of post-2013 general service recruits and privates.

More than 100 delegates are expected to attend the conference from across Ireland, representing all aspects of the military in Ireland.