Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all have a role in that. We will spend €114 million more on defence next year than we will spend this year, with the combination of the pay agreement, assuming it is supported, and the €67 million on top of that, €35 million of which comprises additional capital. Not every party in the House proposed that kind of increase in expenditure. Sinn Féin, for example, in its alternative budget, proposed a €25 million in increase in defence, including a €10 million increase in capital. If Deputies are calling for something and putting me under pressure to deliver it, which is, of course, their job, it is important we are all consistent too. Defence needs significant investment if we are to get the results we expect.

It also needs structures to deliver on the potential of the commission report. We have 38 early actions, which we are moving forward, including interventions such as facilitating associate membership of ICTU, which all the Deputies asked me for, for the representative bodies in advance of the pay talks. That was useful and it has built some trust with the representative bodies. A range of other things are happening, including a suite of measures I announced yesterday at the PDFORRA conference.

One reason we have been under so much pressure this year relates to the fact Ireland is at full employment or close to it, which means there is an aggressive search for skills. We have great people in the Defence Forces who are skilled and well trained and the private sector is looking to target them. We have to have a strong package to respond to that, which is good on pay, allowances and the other aspects on which the private sector cannot compete with us easily such as certainty, the work environment, adventure overseas and at home, healthcare cover, which I want to extend beyond officers to all ranks in the Defence Forces next year and, of course, certainty in policy for people who want to serve their country in uniform, which is very different from working for the private sector. We are at the start of a massive investment programme in defence, relative to any historical investment. In comparison with other countries, it is not massive, but from an Irish perspective, we are going to increase defence budgets significantly in the years ahead and the career opportunities that go with that will be significant.

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