Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on achieving such an important increase in the budget, which it is not easy to do. I hope it is a precedent for further investment in years to come. There is a huge amount of catching up to be done and this level of investment needs to be repeated and accelerated next year and in the years after that. The investment in capital spending is important and long overdue and it must be sustained and further increased. I hope the pay agreement will be completed. I know from speaking to members of the Defence Forces that many are keen to see it concluded and feel it is long overdue.

Will any of the investment we are going to see focus on international co-operation, particularly in regard to protecting our territorial waters?

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