Vol. 575 No. 1
96 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Defence the priorities of his Department for the coming years in the context of the Estimates for 2004; if his attention has been drawn to the huge interest in these matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27932/03]
In the context of the Estimates for 2004, the main priorities for my Department are to maintain the policy of continuous recruitment that I introduced in 1998 and to continue the programme of investment in new equipment and infrastructure in the defence forces. The allocation for 2004 will enable further progress to be made in these key areas including the procurement of an additional 25 armoured personnel carriers, APCs, and eight training aircraft.
