Ruairí Quinn
Question:133 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Defence the progress made to date on the implementation of the White Paper on Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22989/00]
Written Answers. - White Paper on Defence.
My overall objective as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the country has the Defence Forces that it needs and that the Defence Forces continue to be an organisation in which people are proud to serve. That is the overall objective of the White Paper and I can assure the House that implementation is moving ahead quickly and positively.
The chief of staff is currently preparing a plan to restructure the PDF in accordance with the Government's decision on overall numbers. That plan will help us to provide a light infantry based force with an appropriate level of all-arms capability; to provide sufficient forces and capabilities to meet needs at home and to make a significant contribution abroad; to put in place a more cohesive and better equipped force than exists at present; and to provide significant additional resources for equipment and infrastructure broadly within the existing level of financial allocation.
My intention is to have the plan finalised and implemented by end-2001, in accordance with the Government decision.
It is important that we put the new organisation in place and move ahead with the modernisation of the Defence Forces. It is equally important that the new organisation offers rewarding and challenging careers to Defence Forces personnel.
The White Paper recognises the importance of the career dimension and provides for the preparation of an updated and very comprehensive Defence Forces Personnel management plan to address this and related issues. The chief of staff is currently drafting a plan to this end. A key feature of the plan will be a continuation of the policy of regular recruitment which is now in place in order to achieve an improved age profile in the Permanent Defence Force. A campaign to recruit an additional 750 personnel began in April and I relaunched this last month.
I have made my position clear that the representative associations are to be consulted fully in a spirit of partnership before the plans are finalised.
Arising from the special study on the Air Corps undertaken by Price Waterhouse Consultants, and reflecting the policy parameters laid down in the White Paper, Air Corps management has submitted a draft implementation plan to me. I have approved in principle the proposed new Air Corps organisation and this will now be put in place while other elements of the plan are being developed.
As in the case of the Air Corps, the Naval Service prepared a detailed implementation plan which I have approved. Implementation is proceeding, including the putting in place of the new organisation provided for in the plan. The White Paper provides that the overall strategy for the development of the Reserve Defence Force will be based on the report of the special steering group which reported to me last year. I believe that the recommendations contained in the report give us a general basis on which to proceed.
Plans are being drawn up for the launch of a consultative process to seek the views of members of the reserve in advance of the drawing up of an implementation plan. It is estimated that the implementation of any necessary structural and organisational change will take a period of about six years.
I was particularly pleased earlier this year to announce an unprecedented additional £250 million investment programme in new equipment and infrastructure. This will be funded from payroll savings and from the sales of property surplus to requirements and will include: about £55 million over three years on the purchase of new aircraft for the Air Corps with special priority being given to the procurement of new medium range helicopters for the Air Corps; more than £20 million for a second new state of the art fishery patrol vessel for the Naval Service, similar toLE Róisín which was commissioned in 1999; and about £25 million over three years for investment in light infantry tactical vehicles, modern effective anti-armour weapons, night vision equipment, engineer equipment and medical field equipment.
All the foregoing are additional to: £40 million for a new fleet of armoured personnel carriers for the Army – the first of these will be handed-over in early 2001; some £22 million for a state of the art offshore patrol vessel, theLE Róisín, which was delivered in 1999; more than £10.5 million for new tactical VHF radios; more than £6.5 million on specialist transport cargo vehicles, deployed to KFOR, and on new troop carrying vehicles such as 4 x 4s, and ¾ ton trucks.
Meanwhile, more than £100 million – this includes £50 million from the proceeds of the sale of property – is being committed to the development of buildings and other infrastructure at military installations.