Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of course, that is one of the varied and numerous issues to be considered in the context of the Defence Force White Paper which will look to the future, to the State's needs and to the capabilities of the Defence Forces. It will look to the operational requirements, both in the context of serving abroad and at home and in providing an assistance to the civil power.

A key issue is resources. In the context of the Air Corps, there is the issue of the extent and nature of the missions that it is required to undertake and the capacity of the State, within limited financial resources, to purchase additional aircraft, and the need in that context.

As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl will be aware, substantial investment has been made in the Naval Service. We will see in the not too distant future the commissioning of a new naval vessel, which has cost in the region of €53 million. There is a further naval vessel under construction, which should be commissioned during the first half of next year, which has cost a similar sum of money. In the context of the Deputy's specific question, the future role of the Air Corps, the numbers within it, its capabilities and its operational needs all are issues to be considered in the context of the White Paper.

See this speech in context