Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Defence when he expects the delivery of the first of the 60 new light tactical armoured vehicles, 16 of which are to be delivered in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9777/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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A contract for the supply of twenty- seven (27) Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles to the Defence Forces was awarded to BAE Systems based in South Africa in December 2008. The contract followed from a detailed tender competition, which was initiated in May 2008, and which concluded in November 2008.

The tender competition has allowed for the option to acquire up to another twenty-seven vehicles over the next few years to meet any further requirements, depending on the threat faced by the Defence Forces in operational deployments.

The intention is that the LTAV will complement the Mowag Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) in the conduct of conventional and Peace Support Operations and will fill a gap that exists between soft-skinned vehicles and the Mowag APCs.

The contract for the supply of the 27 RG32M vehicles will run over a period of three years and has a value of €19.6m, inclusive of VAT. The cost of the programme will be covered over a number of years from the Defence budget, taking into account the current economic conditions. Deliveries of the vehicles will be sixteen in 2009 and eleven in 2010. It is expected the first vehicle to be delivered will be in the last quarter of 2009 with the remaining fifteen following before year end.

The acquisition of the Light Tactical Vehicles is a top priority for the Defence Forces, given the extensive nature of their roles on overseas Peace Support Missions, the threat from improvised explosive devices and the potential for hostile fire in certain threat environments. Force protection remains a key issue in overseas peace support operations and it is very important that vehicles such as these are available to our personnel.

The purchase of the vehicles is in line with the commitment given in the Programme for Government to continue investment in modern equipment for Defence Forces personnel and the obligations of the State to provide appropriate support and force protection assets to deployed personnel.