Defence Forces

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Questions (326)

Martin Browne

Question:

326. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Defence the companies which supply helmets and uniform equipment to the Defence Forces; and the amount spent on this equipment per year for the past ten years. [27874/21]

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Written answers

Minister for Defence

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible. This is primarily to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government as set out in the White Paper on Defence. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are being considered in the context of the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and Equipment Development Planning (EDP) process.

In this context, the principal aim over the period of the White Paper is to replace and upgrade, as required, existing capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of operational requirements at home and overseas. Budget 2021 provides a Capital allocation of €131m for investment in Defence equipment and barracks infrastructure and will enable continued investment in major equipment platforms such as Defence Forces vehicle fleet. The increased capital funding for 2021 builds on increased levels of capital expenditure totalling €392m over the years 2018 – 2020.

Helmets, uniforms and other personal military equipment are important contributors to capability and personal protection. The replacement or renewal of such items are progressed in a planned way having regard to usage levels, availability of suitable replacements, obsolescence and changing operational requirements.

With regard to investment in helmets, there have been two (2) contracts for the supply of helmets for Special Operations Forces personnel. For operational and security purposes it is not possible to provide the detailed information required by the Deputy. The aggregate spend on helmets for the period in question was €345,366.38 inclusive of VAT.

Of more significant scale and in accordance with the Equipment Development Planning prioritisation process, a tender competition is being advanced for the purchase of a new operational general service helmet with enhanced protective and operational functions for general issue within the Defence Forces. These general service helmets will replace the current helmets in use by the Defence Forces. It is intended that this purchase will be by way of a public procurement competition. More details will be available when the competition is published to the market.

With regard to investment in uniforms, the Defence Forces has two contracts in place under Office of Government Procurement Framework arrangements for the supply of Operational and Ceremonial uniforms. The Table below provides a breakdown of the companies and expenditure involved over the specified timeframe for these.

Table Uniforms

Year	Ceremonial Uniform Supplier	Expenditure inclusive of VAT	Operational Uniform Supplier	Expenditure inclusive of VAT
2012	HUNTER APPAREL LTD	€399,879.34	COONEEN WATTS & STONE DEFENCE	€1,459,917.75
2013	HUNTER APPAREL LTD	€262,757.05	COONEEN WATTS & STONE DEFENCE	€427,502.94
2014	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€482,761.18	SEYNTEX N.V	€558,257.97
2015	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€568,866.36	SEYNTEX N.V	€312,639.41
2016	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€1,721,177.07	SEYNTEX N.V	€1,385,540.39
2017	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€1,078,210.66	SEYNTEX N.V	€1,269,923.23
2018	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€1,202,705.87	SEYNTEX N.V	€1,040,372.32
2019	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€1,062,816.84	SEYNTEX N.V	€1,985,796.88
2020	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€1,945,004.60	SEYNTEX N.V	€289,179.54
2021	TAILORED IMAGE LTD	€783,494.55	SEYNTEX N.V	€723,103.43

I am satisfied that the Defence Forces have the necessary modern and effective range of equipment available to them which is in line with best international standards in order to fulfil all roles assigned to them by Government.