Just 141 naval personnel have claimed sea service bonus

Just 152 personnel have applied for the SSCS, of whom 141 were accepted. Picture: Denis Minihane

An incentive launched by former minister for defence Simon Coveney to get a commitment from navy personnel to undertake sea patrols has clearly not worked because so few have taken up the offer.

That is the claim made by PDForra, which represents enlisted personnel in the Defence Forces, after the Irish Examiner  presented the association with information obtained on the take-up for the Sea-Going Service Commitment Scheme (SSCS), which came into effect on January 1, 2021.