Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 January 2022
131. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Defence the way Ireland’s defence spending as a share of national income compares with other neutral members of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3818/22]
View answerExpenditure on the Defence Forces is managed through Defence Vote 36, with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Defence Vote 36 provides funding for the pay and allowances of members of the Defence Forces, civilian employees and Departmental staff, ongoing Defence Forces operational and standing costs, the acquisition of military equipment along with the development of Defence Forces built infrastructure. It also provides funding for Civil Defence and the Irish Red Cross Society. Separately, Vote 35 provides for expenditure on Military Pensions.
On an annual basis, the Defence Group budget is determined within the overarching budgetary framework and approved by Dáil Eireann, having regard to the level of resources available and defence policy requirements. Capital funding allocations are also framed by the multi-annual National Development Plan.
International comparison of military expenditure are made difficult by the lack of publicly available data, and by the breadth of difference between nations in their international security and defence policies. In addition, there is no EU requirement for Ireland to achieve any specific percentage of GDP target in relation to Defence expenditure, nor is there any agreement at EU level in this regard. It should also be noted that the CSO, in introducing Modified Gross National Income (GNI*), have recognised that the figures for Ireland’s GDP are significantly impacted by the effects of globalisation.
As such, the international perspective is best used for context rather than comparison between militaries.
Against that background and using the latest data published by the European Defence Agency, details on defence spending as a % of GDP across EU Member States in 2019 indicates the level of Irish expenditure on defence, at 0.5% of GNI* , is lower than other neutral1 EU states such as Austria, Sweden, Finland, Malta, and Cyprus.
However, it is worth noting that within the resources allocated to Defence, the Defence Forces make a significant contribution to domestic security, provide a broad range of supports to the civil authorities, undertake roles such as Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) and fishery protection and are widely respected for their contribution to international peace and security. Ireland provides a level of support to the UN that, relative to the size of our Defence Forces, exceeds that of many countries. For this, we can be justifiably proud.
The Government remains committed to ensuring that the Defence Forces have sufficient funding to deliver assigned roles, both at home and overseas, in line with priorities as set out in the White Paper on Defence (2015) and the 2019 White Paper Update.
The Deputy will also be aware that the Government established an independent Commission on the Defence Forces in December 2020. The work of the Commission encompasses the consideration of appropriate military equipment capabilities, structures and staffing, and their report will inform decisions regarding the future development of the Defence Forces. The Commission are finalising their work with a view to completing their Report as soon as possible. The Commission's Report, when submitted, will be fully considered at that point.
1 defined as EU Non-NATO MS.
