A total of €106 million has been allocated for 2019 for capital expenditure in Vote 36 Defence, an increase of €29 million on the 2018 allocation. This is in accordance with the National Development Plan, Project Ireland 2040, which provides for an overall capital allocation of €541m for Defence for the period 2018 to 2022. This capital funding will allow the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructure development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as identified in the White Paper, over the lifetime of the Plan.
My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government as set out on the White Paper on Defence.
This funding emphasises the importance attached by the Government to ensuring that the Defence Forces have the capabilities necessary to deliver on all the roles assigned by Government.
The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces remains a clear focus for me. Future equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and equipment priorities planning process. In addition to investment in equipment, the capital programme provides for a sustained programme of investment in physical infrastructure in respect of a range of barracks modernisation and refurbishment projects.
The White Paper provides for the replacement of the current Naval Service flagship, LÉ Eithne, with a multi role vessel (MRV). It is the Government’s intent that this new vessel will provide a flexible and adaptive capability for a wide range of maritime tasks, both at home and overseas.
The acquisition of a modern vessel will ensure that the operational capabilities of the Naval Service, as the State’s principal seagoing agency, are maintained to the greatest extent and takes account of the overall policy approach in the White Paper on Defence.
Planning is ongoing on this project and it is intended to hold a public tender competition in due course to cover the supply of the MRV. The design and configuration of the vessel, including the approach to helicopter flight operations, will be considered as part of the planning process. This procurement is, of course, subject to the availability of funding within the overall Defence capital funding envelope. The cost of the MRV will only be known once the tender competition is concluded.
