Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
262. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the capital allocation and expenditure of the Defence Forces in the years 2020 to date, by domain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28533/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraVote 36 Defence is managed through a single programme with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Accordingly, my Department does not allocate funding by domain.
The principal demand drivers of Defence capital requirements are the ongoing acquisition and renewal of military equipment, along with the development and upgrade of Defence Forces built infrastructure and ICT capacity. The importance of this was set out in the 2019 White Paper Update and reinforced in the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022.
The table below outlines overall capital allocations and expenditure from the Defence Vote (including Civil Defence & Administration capital expenditure ) over the specified timeframe:
Capital Allocation & Expenditure on the Defence Vote from 2020 to 2023 (YTD)
|
Defence Capital Expenditure |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (YTD) |
|
Allocation |
€125m |
€131m |
€141m |
€176m |
|
Outturn |
€159m |
€130m |
€144m |
€49m |
The primary return on Defence capital investment is the maintenance and development of necessary military capabilities which provide the means by which the Defence Forces contribute to national and international peace and security and fulfil all other roles assigned by Government.
