Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will provide a brief on the reimbursement of allowances, etc. Everything in procurement is done on the open market and purchases are made from respected suppliers. This is all essential equipment so we can have the capability to operate overseas. I will take back the Deputy's views on the work being done by the Naval Service on the Mediterranean. He asked about counselling for members on vessels. I am not able to give an exact breakdown in that respect but the medical corps in the military provide an excellent service. I assure the Deputy that personnel are given whatever is required in a medical sense, including counselling. This is about the protection and well-being of all our personnel on board those vessels.

The Deputy mentioned a €46 million figure for a vessel but that is not the full cost of an individual vessel. It is the payment in a particular year. The overall contract was €200 million. One can consider the cost of labour and steel, in particular, over the past number of years and that the contract was signed in 2010. The cost of building any ship has gone dramatically through the roof over the past number of years.

The Department of Defence got a great deal on the fourth ship. The €46 million is the sum paid under the naval vessel replacement programme in a specific year. The value of the overall contract for three ships was €199.4 million inclusive of VAT.

The commemoration ceremonies of 2016 were very successful. I hope it will help in the recruitment of young officers and staff into the Permanent Defence Force. The Army personnel got a great reception when they went to the schools throughout the country. I was present at a number of schools in County Wexford for the presentation of the flag and Proclamation. It was the first time that many schoolchildren had seen Army personnel in the flesh. The Army personnel were able to brief the children on what was involved in Army life and I hope it will pay off when we come to recruit Army personnel in the years to come.

The Deputy raised the question of the battle group. Four officers have been deployed to the battle group force headquarters in Catterick, north Yorkshire, while one other has been deployed to the operational headquarters based in Northwood. The outcome of the recent referendum in the United Kingdom is not expected to have any bearing on the function or operation of this battle group. We had a very good debate on Ireland's participation in the UK battle group. Let me put on record that the term "battle group" is very unfortunate. I know Deputy Barrett, during the debate in the Dáil, raised the use of the word. It is a military operational word but people have formed the wrong concept of what a battle group is about.