Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

To be clear, we are in favour of spending to ensure that Defence Forces personnel are not living in conditions of poverty. Only €20 million of the €500 million and €2 billion extra recommended in the report relates to that. We are in favour of doing that but we are not in favour of trying to win an arms race that cannot be won. It certainly cannot be won by Ireland. We are not in favour of increasing spending by €2 billion a year for buying an intercept capability, the acquisition of a squadron of jet combat aircraft, naval ships, etc., or even the additional €500 million a year. One simple reason for that is 2,000 homes could be built every year instead. If the Government makes the choice to give the money to these big military industries, primarily in the USA presumably, then it is making a choice to prioritise that over homes, healthcare, education or whatever else.

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