Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I should point out that the increase in the defence budget last year was €70 million.

This is a Government that is committed to investing in our Defence Forces and making sure that they have better equipment. We have seen a significant improvement in pay in recent years and it now compares very favourably with other jurisdictions like the UK and the US, for example.

To the best of my knowledge, Opposition parties have been invited to participate in the forum. They might not have been asked to give a keynote speech, but they have been invited to participate in the forum. We would welcome that they do so.

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