Billy Kelleher
Ceist:107. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount spent on replacing military police vehicles in 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form. [26753/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 25 June 2019
Ceisteanna (107)
Freagraí scríofa
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 to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as 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. The principal aim over the period of the White Paper will be to replace and upgrade, as required, existing capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of operational requirements, including response to security risks and other emergencies, both at home and overseas.
There is also continuous investment in the non-armoured vehicle fleet and funding is provided on an on-going basis for the required maintenance of vehicles in the military transport fleet, both at home and overseas.
Certain purchasing is carried out by the Defence Forces directly under delegation of financial responsibility which permits the Defence Forces to procure a wide range of goods and services directly, and this includes Military Police vehicles.
The following table sets out details of the amount spent on "blue light" Military Police vehicles from 2017 to date in 2019.
|
Year |
Number of Vehicles |
Cost |
Remarks |
|
2017 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
2018 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
|
2019 |
4 |
€127,680 |
Vehicles delivered to DF and currently under-going fit-out. (There will be further costs for fitting of blue-lighting) |