Naval Service lost more staff in the last year than signed up for €10k incentive

To date, only 71 members of the Naval Service have signed up for the Sea-going Service Commitment Scheme designed to ensure its ships such as the LÉ Roisín had sufficient crew to go to sea. Picture: Denis Minihane

The Naval Service lost more personnel in the past year than have signed up for a special payment designed to ensure its ships are able to go on sea patrols.

Figures provided to the Irish Examiner show that, between the end of 2019 and end of 2020, personnel numbers declined from 985 to 904, a decrease of 81. The minimal strength of the Naval Service is supposed to be 1,094.