Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their comments and their contributions to the debate. The primary function of these projects is to develop and maintain capabilities necessary to enable our personnel to fulfil their roles as laid down by Government. I have highlighted the importance of supporting our defence forces in capability development, and it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to keep abreast of best practice in the defence environment. As I said in my opening contribution, joining these joint procurement projects provides options to the Defence Forces. The war in Ukraine has resulted in increased demand for ammunition and equipment, which can have an adverse impact on smaller member states. These projects provide options for procurement in particular areas of ammunition, CBRN equipment and soldier equipment. It is important to stress that they are not the only procurement options available to us. By signing up to these projects we are not limiting our procurement to these specific projects. We are simply widening our options. As I stated in my opening contribution, there is no cost to the Exchequer until the order is placed. The cyber project makes absolute sense. Why would we leave our cyber defence experts outside of the room? Participation in this project will enable capability development and create a network of experts who will learn from each other. It will also provide educational testing opportunities to our Defence Forces. We will get all of this at a relatively low cost to the Exchequer of €60,000 per year. I have mentioned that collaboration and engagement at EU level is central to our international defence policy, as is clearly stated in the White Paper on Defence.

Given the changed geopolitical environment, this collaboration of member states to do more together is needed now even more. I have detailed how the European Defence Agency is focused on assisting member states in capability development, obtaining better value for existing spending levels, improving competitiveness and securing greater efficiency, especially in the area of research, technology and procurement of defence capabilities. The projects undertaken with the European Defence Agency are linked with operational requirements and through this engagement, the Defence Forces have acquired skills and developed capabilities that could not be achieved when acting alone. Participation in these four projects will enhance our interoperability and strengthen our ability to make effective contributions to the promotion of global peace, security and development.

To respond to a few queries concerning CRBN, we are referring here to personal protective defensive equipment in respect of chemical, nuclear, biological, radiological and other such hazards, such as over-suits, gloves, boots and facemasks. Many of these things have a short shelf life. It is important for the members of our Defence Forces to have this necessary equipment to keep them safe and ensure they can carry out their work effectively.

On neutrality, the Government is very clear Ireland is a neutral country. I am a proud supporter of this policy. I speak quite regularly with my counterparts in Europe, from Austria and Malta, regarding this issue. We are also very strong in respect of ensuring this remains the case. The Government has also been very clear that we are not joining NATO, but no matter how many times we say this, the suggestion keeps being repeated.

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