Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on the total costs to his Department of the visits of Queen Elizabeth II and the President of the USA [17028/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Security arrangements for the visits of Queen Elizabeth II and the President of the United States were primarily an operational matter for the Garda Síochána. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of aid to the civil power, meaning in practice to assist, when requested, the Garda Síochána.

With regard to the two highly successful recent visits, the important role played by the Defence Forces included search, surveillance and security operations on land, at sea and in the air, as requested by and in support of the Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces were also involved in the guarding of vital installations and provision of ceremonial duties as part of Queen Elizabeth's State visit, which duties went extraordinarily well and resulted in a great deal of praise for the Defence Forces.

Prior to the visits, the estimated additional cost of the Defence Forces involvement in the visit of Queen Elizabeth II was €1.18 million, while the estimated cost of President Obama's visit was €630,000. My Department is carrying out an exercise that will confirm the accuracy or otherwise of these estimates. At this point, the indications are that the estimated costs of both visits will not be exceeded. The costs associated with the recent visits will be paid from the existing financial envelope provided in the defence Vote for 2011 and I am satisfied it will not be necessary to seek a Supplementary Estimate arising out of the visits.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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The question was tabled because many unsuccessful attempts have been made to obtain accurate information on the overall costs to the State of the two recent State visits. When questions were put to the Taoiseach he could only account for the cost to his Department and indicated that an estimate of the costs involved should be sought from each individual Department. One could be forgiven for concluding that the Government does not want to reveal the true figure. The figures provided by the Minister can now be added to those provided by other Departments.

I would be pleased if some overtime was generated for members of the Defence Forces as it would soften the blow that their pay packets have taken as a result of reductions in public sector pay. The Minister indicated his budget is sufficient to absorb the costs arising from the two unanticipated State visits. From which part of his Department's budget will these resources be taken?

The Minister also indicated that searches and surveillance were carried out at the request of the Garda Síochána. Were searches or surveillance carried out at the request of the United States authorities? If so, will the Minister indicate what was the cost of such activities?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Oh dear. Some of the Members who sit in the top rows in this Chamber can never quite get away from obsessing about countries that are supposed to be the enemy - if it is not Israel, it is the United States. No searches were carried out at the request of the United States. Ireland is a sovereign State and the United States does not request or direct the Defence Forces or Garda Síochána to do anything of any description. Any engagements of the Defence Forces were in the context of their assistance to the civil power and Garda Síochána.

The sad reality is that a substantial amount of public money was spent on two very successful visits as a consequence of the conduct of small groups who engaged in conduct which posed a serious risk to the success of the visits and safety of our visitors. If that had not been a concern, much of the money would have been saved. The Department of Defence and Defence Forces operate in a very careful and efficient manner and the funding that was used in the context of the visit with regard to the Department can be dealt with in the Defence Forces Estimate without any difficulty. It will not result in any cutback in services of any description, as provided by the Department.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I am not satisfied with the Minister's reply. The figures he cited amount to slightly less than €2 million, a sum that cannot be ignored in the context of any Department's budget. The relevant moneys must have been pinpointed for use in another area. Where will the Department make up the deficit?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has just added something in the region of €800,000 on to the figure I gave, which was €1.18 million. I do not quite see how €1.18 million comes to €2 million.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I included the Minister's figure of €600,000.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the provision made available to the Department of Defence and Defence Forces, there is contained within it provision to deal with eventualities that may arise. Such eventualities may result either from the need to address difficulties created by subversive organisations on this island or dealing with visits from persons abroad for which special security arrangements are required. This is part and parcel of what is included in the Defence Forces Estimate. Given that the Defence Forces and Department of Defence operate in a very efficient manner, no difficulty arises for either the Department or Defence Forces out of either visit.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I must correct the Minister. The two figures he provided - €1.18 million and €630,000 - add up to €1.8 million, which is closer to €2 million than €1 million.