Ivan Yates
Ceist:93 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Defence when the White Paper on Defence will be published; if further amendments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8863/00]
Written Answers. - White Paper on Defence.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:104 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Defence the action, if any, he will take to ensure that there is better liaison, more communication and realistic discussions on ongoing and future issues relating to the Defence Forces in view of the difficulties which emerged during the development of the White Paper on Defence in the relationship between the civilian and military management in his Department. [8875/00]
Billy Timmins
Ceist:113 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the amendments, if any, he will make to the White Paper on Defence published in February 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8789/00]
Michael Finucane
Ceist:125 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Defence the role he envisages for the Naval Service in protecting Ireland's sovereignty in view of the White Paper on Defence. [8828/00]
Michael Bell
Ceist:149 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Defence the proposals, if any, he has for implementation of the provisions of the White Paper on Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8793/00]
Jim Higgins
Ceist:150 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Defence the context of the memorandum in his Department which apparently commented on the changes which the Chief of Staff had sought to the White Paper on Defence. [8824/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 104, 113, 125, 149 and 150 together.
The final text of the White Paper on Defence will be published in the very near future. As I informed the House earlier, this text, agreed with the military authorities, will reflect the up to date position based on the final inputs which I obtained from the chief of staff, together with any necessary typographical or presentational editing. The final phase of the proof reading and layout processes will be concluded shortly and the text will then be sent immediately to the printers. However, due to the widespread public interest in the White Paper, I have arranged for the final text version of the White Paper to be placed on my Department's website where interested parties may consult it as they require.
The White Paper was drafted following an extensive process of consultation with a range of public bodies and interested individuals and organisations. It is important to bear in mind that the White Paper is a formulation of the Govern ment's overall policy on defence based on the Government's analysis of the security environment.
To turn to the other aspects of consultation, the Department of Defence is unique in having civil and military branches. Despite the claims made in the media, the civil and military elements of the Department of Defence work extremely closely together on all aspects of the business of defence. Day in, day out, civil and military managers are working to ensure that the Irish people have the defence services and capabilities that the State requires. This work covers what must be among the broadest range of duties of any Department. Aside from policy issues, the Department's programmes cover general defence and security, aid to the civil power, overseas peace support and humanitarian tasks all over the globe, fishery protection, ministerial air transport, the management of 21,000 acres and 28 barracks, a civil defence organisation with 6,000 members in training, and the eighth largest departmental budget. Effective and extremely positive working relationships exist throughout all levels of the Department. The day to day work of Defence, as I have described it already, would not be carried out so successfully were it otherwise.
When I launched the first ever White Paper on Defence, I made three very important points. The White Paper on Defence provided for the most significant development of the Defence Forces ever undertaken. It set out a framework for an unprecedented additional investment initiative totalling £250 million over the next decade which will transform the Defence Forces into a world class military organisation. The White Paper proposed a very modest reduction in PDF strength which is necessary to develop an affordable, sustainable, world-class military organisation and any suggestion that the Defence Forces were not adequately consulted was completely without foundation. On the contrary, the entire thrust of the White Paper is based on the Government's acceptance of the requirement for a major programme of capital investment put forward by the military authorities as their number one priority.
As I said when I launched the White Paper, my main objective was to ensure that the State has available at all times flexible, well equipped and well trained Defence Forces, including an appropriate reserve, to meet the roles laid down by Government. I am totally committed to developing the Defence Forces into a world class military organisation and this White Paper sets out a comprehensive programme for such development for the next decade. Under the White Paper the capacity of the Defence Forces will be greatly enhanced.
The major points in the White Paper are: the reorganised Defence Forces will be a flexible light infantry force on the lines recommended by Pricewaterhouse, a commitment to a policy of continuous recruitment to the Defence Forces along with the development of a new comprehensive personnel management strategy covering recruitment and promotion – an immediate step will be the planned recruitment of 750 personnel; the allocation of 100% of an estimated £20 million annual saving arising from Defence Forces restructuring and of all of the proceeds from the sale of property surplus to military requirements to equipment and infrastructure; the development of the Air Corps with a commitment to major equipment investment in new aircraft – the allocation of a special fund of £5 million per year for the next five years to meet urgent Air Corps equipment requirements; a continued investment in the Naval Service based on an eight ship flotilla including a commitment to order a second new ship and provision for new effectiveness and efficiency measures to enhance fishery protection; payroll savings for reinvestment in the Defence Forces will be obtained from a reduction in the approved strength from 11,500 to 10,500 plus the option of 250 recruits in training – the current strength is 10,900 and the reduction will not involve any redundancies or closure of barracks; a continued commitment to overseas participation in accordance with Government policy – a key element of the development programme will be to ensure that the Defence Forces are geared to meet the new challenges in the overseas domain; the development of the Reserve Defence Force involving a new organisational structure and a commitment to improved training and equipment – I intend to bring a more detailed proposal to Government, following a consultative process; the establishment of a new statutory authority to manage the Curragh, particularly having regard to environmental matters, and the decentralisation of the civil defence branch of the Department of Defence, involving some 30 staff, to Roscrea.
Although the White Paper has just recently been launched, implementation has already begun. I have already announced the most substantial programme of investment in new equipment for the Defence Forces that has ever occurred.
The day after the White Paper was published, I announced a major investment programme for the Air Corps, with £55 million being provided over three years for new aircraft. The following week I announced that agreement in principle had been reached for the purchase of a second offshore patrol vessel similar to the LERóisín which will cost in excess of £20 million.
During my recent visit to our UNIFIL troops in South Lebanon, I announced a multi-million pound investment programme for the Army estimated at £25 million.
I have also instructed that arrangements to recruit an additional 750 personnel to the Defence Forces be commenced immediately. A recruitment campaign will commence early next month. This is immediate evidence of my commitment to maintaining the policy of continuous recruitment to the Defence Forces which I introduced in the last few years.
In the past four weeks I have announced investment in new equipment totalling at least £100 million. This investment is in addition to the £40 million which I had already set aside for the purchase of 40 armoured personnel carriers. Investment on this scale merely confirms what I have indicated to this House for the past few months, namely that the White Paper represents a serious response by this Government to the sustained case advanced by the military authorities to me, the Taoiseach and officials of my Department. The case for re-equipment was overwhelming and it has been accepted. This Government was serious when it said it was going to develop the Defence Forces into a world class military organisation and we have allocated the funding that this ambitious project will require.
The White Paper also considered the role of the Naval Service. The White Paper describes comprehensively the contribution made by the Naval Service in this regard. The unique characteristics which Naval Service vessels carry with them as an expression of State sovereignty and political will at sea and in furthering objectives in the international maritime domain are fully recognised.
The White Paper also recognises that a primary activity of the Naval Service is the implementation of European Union fishery policies. Substantial funding was provided by the EU towards the acquisition of five of the eight Naval Service vessels and the White Paper sets out proposals for the better utilisation of these assets. For the future, the White Paper commits the Government to the maintenance of an eight ship flotilla which is a very significant commitment within overall defence provision. As already stated, I recently announced the decision to acquire a second offshore patrol vessel similar to the recently commissioned LERóisín.
It would be less than honest of me not to acknowledge that the final stages of preparation of the White Paper did not run as smoothly as I would have wished. Unfortunately, some commentary was less than well balanced. The resulting commotion distracted from, and devalued the impact and genuinely developmental nature of, the White Paper on Defence. At the time I criticised those irresponsible people who could not see the dangers of trying to drive a wedge between a Minister and any group of public servants.
I repeat that the so called departmental memorandum referred to in Deputy Yates's question does not exist.
Undoubtedly the White Paper will present many challenges to the Defence Forces. However, substantial change and reorganisation has been successfully carried out by the Defence Forces in the last three years. The Government has every confidence that the Defence Forces will rise to meet the challenge of completing the necessary reform process.
The White Paper provides a unique opportunity for the Defence Forces. The future of the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and the reserve will be fully secured for the future. There are many challenges in the White Paper for the Defence Forces but the organisation has successfully carried out substantial change and reorganisation in the past three years. I have every confidence that the Defence Forces will rise to meet the challenges of completing the necessary reform process outlined in the White Paper.