Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)

The primary radar system and the full radar picture is one of the cornerstones of the transformation of the Defence Forces and it is crucial we get it right, not least because it will cost a substantial sum of money. Can the Tánaiste give us a sense of what kind of sums we are talking about because it is important we apply lessons learned from other public contracts to this project? There was a discussion yesterday on the relationship between Britain and Ireland. There was a discussion about security. One of the points advanced was military expenditure. People talk about the amount spent but it can be spent well or can be spent badly. Obviously, it is essential we achieve value for money in delivering this.

The Tánaiste talked about the naval radar picture and the requirement that it would be ship-borne. Do we have the capacity, in terms of our current fleet, to deliver that? Similarly, do we have the capacity with the air picture?

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