Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves Ireland's participation in two European Defence Agency projects – (1) Joint Procurement Arrangement for EU SatCom Market and (2) European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities, ECMAN, pursuant to section 2 of the Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.

In commending the motion, I will briefly outline the function of the European Defence Agency, EDA, and the background to the programmes in which Ireland wishes to participate. I brought this motion before a meeting of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday. The EDA is an agency of the European Union and was established by a joint action of the Council of the European Union in 2004. Its purpose is to support the member states and the Council in their efforts to improve European defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the European security and defence policy as it stands and as it develops in the future. On 6 July 2004, the Government approved Ireland's participation in the framework of the EDA. The agency is focused on assisting member states in capability development and obtaining better value for existing spending levels, improving competitiveness and securing greater efficiency, particularly in the area of research, technology and procurement of defence capabilities. The primary reason for Ireland's participation in the agency is to support the development of Defence Forces capabilities for peacekeeping and international crisis management operations. The Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 prescribes that participation in projects or programmes in the EDA is subject to Government and Dáil approval.

The proposal put forward by me today is to seek approval for Ireland to participate in two EDA projects - one in the area of satellite communications and one in the area of manual neutralisation capabilities. The aim of this joint procurement arrangement is to provide commercially available satellite communications, fixed and mobile, as well as related services through the establishment of framework agreements on behalf of the contributing members, to promote ease of access and to improve efficiency. The provision of strategic satellite services is an essential prerequisite for the major deployment of troops overseas and in support of other major operations. It is vital that the Defence Forces maintain appropriate systems and procedures for the provision of strategic satellite services. This project represents an opportunity not only to procure satellite services in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner but also to ensure security of supply and back-up in the event of any failure on the part of an existing supplier or an urgent operational requirement which cannot be met under Ireland's normal contractual arrangements. There are no costs to the Exchequer arising from participation in this arrangement. Costs only arise if the service is availed of on a pay-per-use basis.

I will now provide some detail on the second EDA project, which is the European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities, ECMAN. The ECMAN category B project is a follow-on activity of the EDA's category B programme on manual neutralisation techniques courses and exercises programme. Ireland's participation in that programme was approved in 2013 and will finish in 2018. The aim of this follow on project is to continue to develop manual neutralisation capabilities to the highest standards in order to retain capacity in dealing with improvised explosive devices when it is not possible to destroy or disrupt the device through other means, for example, a controlled explosion. Participation in this project would provide explosive ordnance disposal personnel with access to a training system which is designed to continuously update and improve their safety when operating in an extreme environment. It also enables those already qualified to maintain skill levels through an efficient relicensing arrangement linked to refresher courses. This capability is highly specialised. There is a lack of availability elsewhere due to its sensitive and classified nature and it is mainly developed through multinational framework arrangements. The cost to the Exchequer of Ireland's participation in ECMAN is €75,000 per year for six years - a total of €450,000 over the lifetime of the project. The costs will be met from within existing resources.

Ireland's participation in the EDA affords us the opportunity to keep abreast of best practice and new developments in the defence environment, particularly as it impacts on multinational crisis management operations. The Government's White Paper on Defence, published in August 2015, states that Ireland will identify opportunities to participate in multi-national capability development projects within the framework of the EDA in support of the Defence Forces' operations, capacity and capability. These projects are prime examples of how the Defence Forces can develop their capabilities in satellite communications and in manual neutralisation capabilities.

I commend the motion to the House.

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