Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2019
74. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of capital projects anticipated to commence in the next five years that cost €100 million or more; the expected cost of external consultants for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42881/19]
View answerUnder the National Development Plan, as part of Project Ireland 2040, the Defence Vote was allocated €541 million in capital funding for the period 2018 to 2022. This level of capital funding allows the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructure development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the Defence Forces have the capabilities necessary to deliver on all their assigned roles, both at home and overseas.
Over the next five years the Defence Organisation will continue the programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructure development as set out and prioritised in the White Paper. Planning is ongoing for aircraft and naval vessel replacement projects which are likely to exceed €100 million but no finalised contracts are in place for these. Consequently overall project costs and any associated consultancy costs are not known at this stage.
