Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Defence if he plans to undertake cost analyses or cost projections with respect to the domestic implications of EU defence related measures agreed by the Government, including rapid reaction force deployments, the setting up of an EU armaments agency, the increased defence spending imperatives in the agreed EU security strategy and with respect to the Article 40 (3) provisions of the EU constitutional treaty. [24293/04]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Snodaigh has raised similar questions on a number of previous occasions. I can confirm that there has been no significant change in the position since my predecessor's response to Question No. 62 of 11 May last.

In this regard, the Government's White Paper on defence, published in February 2000, set out a medium term strategy for defence covering the period up to 2010. A major objective of the strategy is to ensure that Ireland has a world class military organisation capable of carrying out the roles assigned to it by the Government, both at home and abroad. This objective requires an ongoing modernisation process, including an investment programme to ensure that the Defence Forces are properly equipped for these roles.

In seeking to modernise the Defence Forces, I am conscious of the need to obtain the best possible efficiencies from existing resources. The disposal of assets, for example, has been used as a method of financing our re-equipment programme, while the planning and review process of Partnership for Peace has been used as the forum for enhancing the ability of the Defence Forces to operate effectively with contingents from other countries on Petersberg Task type operations. In this way the Defence Forces have been able to make a valuable contribution to peace support operations from within existing resources.

With regard to financing of Petersberg Task type operations, Ireland favours maximising a system of financing operations on the basis of costs lie where they fall. This is the basis on which Ireland successfully participates in KFOR and SFOR and I envisage that our participation in similar Petersberg Task type operations in the future will be similarly financed. The cost implications of the operational activities of the Defence Forces are kept under continual review in my Department.

In addition, I am supportive of measures which may emerge within the European security and defence policy which could lead to future efficiencies in defence spending. For example, the agreement reached during the Irish Presidency to establish a European defence agency in the field of defence capabilities development, research, acquisition and armaments, could by promoting such efficiencies yield economies of scale for the procurement of equipment for the Defence Forces. The main focus of these measures is not increasing defence expenditure, as the Deputy suggests, but rather towards obtaining better value for existing spending levels.

Both the development of the agency and the development of an EU rapid response capability, with an emphasis on supporting the United Nations in crisis management, are issues which are currently under development at EU level. Much work remains to be done at EU level on both these issues before any meaningful cost analysis of their implications can be usefully undertaken. In the context of the broader development of the EU's capacity to carry out both civilian and military crisis management operations, Ireland has advocated that the EU should prioritise the development of qualitative aspects of capability development. I am aware that this view is shared by many of my ministerial colleagues at EU level at a time when the majority of member states, including Ireland, has no plans to increase their defence spending.

I remind the Deputy that national sovereignty and voluntarism are, and will continue to be, the fundamental underlying principles of participation in the European security and defence policy, ESDP. Accordingly, I do not consider that the issues he raised regarding the European security strategy and the draft constitutional treaty will alter current Government policy in this area.