Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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There are a number of areas where the Estimate is below what the outturn was in 2018 or 2017. I find this odd because these are in some of the areas we have been talking about, for example, barracks and engineering in subhead A12. The uniforms and clothing total is just under €2 million below the previous figures. The Defence Forces communication and information technology subhead, which we have discussed in the context of cybersecurity, is €3 million below the previous year's spend. Military education and training is €500,000 below what was spent in the previous year. It applies also to the Defence Vote for logistics and travel.

Subhead A18 relates to the Defence Forces medical and healthcare support with a substantial increase. The logic for that €4 million is that they have shifted something that previously came under civilian support into the medical and healthcare area. This is an accounting process. Does subhead A18 cover all of the psychiatrists? There is a problem with regard to not being able to employ psychiatrists directly and having to get outside consultancy. Is this cost accounted for in the €7 million that has been set aside for drugs, dressings, equipment and professional consultants? Theoretically the Department has taken €4 million from subhead A7 - Defence Forces civilian support, and given it to subhead A18. This suggests that if things had stood as they were, it would have meant a substantial increase of €6.5 million this year in the pay and allowances for civilian staff and not the €2.5 million indicated. This substantial amount is not fully explained. Obviously there is some provision since there are more than 500 civilians working in the Defence Forces.

I shall now turn to Naval Service expenditure on equipment and support. For some reason last year was an exceptional year because it had peaked but it has dropped back. Was this because of new equipment being more efficient and, if so, why was it so high last year? Given that Irish Naval Service vessels are continuously on Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea, I would have expected that the figures for the purchase of fuel and lubricants, specialist training and so on would remain much the same. I find that odd.

The Deputy asked some very technical questions and I will provide a detailed written answer if that is acceptable. I do not have the full information to hand and, therefore, I will provide him with a full reply in writing.

The number of civilians employed has dropped considerably over the years, with a marked decrease during the economic downturn. The recruitment of civilian employees for military installations is an ongoing process based on a combination of the filling of consequential vacancies, which have arisen due to promotions or retirements, and the filling of priority vacancies on the basis of identified requirements. A programme of targeted recruitment has been in place to fill priority vacancies. In 2018, eight civilian appointments were filled by external competition, while 17 were filled by internal competition. As of December 2018, an additional 39 candidates were undergoing security and medical clearance prior to appointment. There were 47 retirements or resignations and no deaths in service, and no redundance packages were paid out in 2018.

The Naval Service equipment and expenses cost €2 million, the maintenance of vessels cost €6.3 million, marine fuel and lubricants cost €3.7 million, specialised training cost €167,000, while miscellaneous costs were €723,000, accounting for a total of €13 million. There was no major change from the previous year, except fuel costs. The outturn for 2017 was €13.7 million, while in 2018 it was €17 million but that can be explained by increases in the cost of fuel and so on.