Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 May 2022
15. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Defence the way that 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. [23497/22]
View answerExpenditure on the Defence Forces is managed through Vote 36 - Defence, with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Vote 36 - Defence 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 Éireann, 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. It should also be noted that the Central Statistics Office (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 national income across EU Member States in 2020 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.
I fully acknowledge there is an ongoing requirement to consider whether the capabilities we maintain are appropriate, having regard to the security environment, the roles that we wish the Defence Forces to undertake, and likely risks. That is precisely why I established the Commission on the Defence Forces. The Commission’s report contains many detailed recommendations and there is a process underway to consider these. This necessarily requires widespread consultations. The intent is to revert to Government with a proposed response and a high-level action plan in advance of the summer recess. As the Deputy will appreciate, it would be inappropriate for me at this time to pre-empt an ongoing deliberative process.
1 defined as EU Non-NATO MS.
