I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department continues to engage with matters relating to the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) allowance in accordance with sanction and agreed public service pay arrangements.

An increase in the ARW allowance, with retrospection to 1 June 2006, was recommended by an Adjudication in 2010, with a further upward review recommended in 2014 and periodic reviews thereafter. However, implementation of this Adjudication was not possible at the time due to the operation of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation between 2009 and 2015, which restricted the payment of pay increases and retrospective adjustments across the public service.

Following the conclusion of the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018–2020, my Department made an offer to PDFORRA to implement a number of outstanding adjudications, including the ARW allowance adjudication, on a non-retrospective basis with effect from 1 October 2018. That offer was accepted by PDFORRA in September 2019, without prejudice to the Association’s right to pursue legal action on behalf of its members. Accordingly, there is no sanction in place to pay ARW allowance arrears in respect of the period 2006 to 2018and no arrears remain outstanding in respect of that period.

More recently, in 2023, the parties, including PDFORRA, agreed to refer the matter of the ARW Allowance to the Defence sector Arbitration Board who recommended a further increase in the ARW allowance of €200 per month, together with an additional 5% increase, with effect from 1 October 2021. This recommendation was sanctioned by the Minister for Defence at the time and the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in July 2023. The Department’s Finance Branch was instructed to implement both the increase and the associated back pay to 1 October 2021, and these payments have been processed for eligible serving personnel.

I would also note that the ARW allowance has been increased on a number of occasions in recent years and now stands, following the most recent increase on 1 February 2026, at €317.41 per week for post-2013 enlisted personnel, €304.36 per week for pre-2013 enlisted personnel, and €304.37 per week for officers.

These increases reflect the highly specialist and demanding nature of service in the Army Ranger Wing and the importance of retaining these highly trained personnel.