Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Defence Vote was allocated with a funding envelope of €758 million in 2019. This represented an increase of €51 million, or 7%, over the corresponding 2018 allocation and includes funding for pay and allowances for over 10,400 public service employees, ongoing Defence Forces standing and operational costs and the ongoing renewal and upgrading of defence equipment and barracks infrastructure, as well as funding in respect of Civil Defence and the Irish Red Cross Society. It allows the Defence Forces to deliver on all of their assigned roles, both at home and overseas, as set out in the White Paper on Defence.

Overall expenditure on the Defence Vote at the end of August was €418 million, representing 55% of the total budget provision. This is broadly in line with expenditure trends in recent years. At the end of August, capital expenditure was €28 million below the profile set out at the beginning of the year, mainly due to later capital project delivery timelines. Non-pay expenditure was broadly in line with profile and pay expenditure was €24 million below profile, mainly due to payroll numbers being below approved strength levels.

My Department will continue to monitor expenditure across the defence Vote very closely, and it is intended that any savings arising within the defence Vote at year-end would, in consultation and agreement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, be used to address spending requirements elsewhere in the defence Vote group, including Army pensions.

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