Written answers

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Department of Justice, Equality and Defence

Departmental Funding

9:00 pm

Photo of Derek KeatingDerek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of associations, organisations and regulatory bodies in receipt of grants, benefit in kind and sums of money from the State in tabular form for the past three years; if he is satisfied that the State should be financing such organisations; if he will undertake to examine the savings that can be made in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28913/12]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The following organisations are in receipt of grants/funds from the Department of Defence:

200920102011
AGENCY FUNDING
Civil Defence Board€6.148m€6.061m€5.585m
Coiste an Asgard€830,000NilNil
COSTS ARISING FROM EU COMMON SECURITY & DEFENCE POLICY
ATHENA Committee(ATHENA Special Committee is a working body of the EU Council which administers the financing of EU military operations)€282,152€208,349€228,473
EU Satellite Centre€89,450€75,780€70,317
European Defence Agency€584,849€315,775€284,047
GRANTS TO VETERAN ASSOCIATIONS
Irish United Nations Veteran Association (IUNVA)€10,000€10,000€10,000
Organisation of National ex-servicemen and women (ONE)€40,000€40,000€40,000
MISCELLANEOUS
Military History Society of Ireland€9,863€5,308€5,578
Irish Red Cross€951,000€951,000€951,000
DF Canteen Board€485,000€485,000€485,000
Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA)€68,568€68,568€68,568
Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (RDFRA)€52,694€52,694€52,694

The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) and RDFRA are provided with office accommodation without charge. Personnel are seconded to RACO and PDFORRA on a non-recoupment basis. Currently, there are 2 officers seconded to RACO and 3 enlisted personnel to PDFORRA .

The grant-in-aid to the Civil Defence Board and Irish Red Cross was cut in order to comply with a provision in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 which required that the operating costs of all non-commercial State Agencies must be cut by 10% from 2011.

In the context of settling the Estimates for the Department of Defence for 2010, the previous Government decided that the national sail training scheme, operated by Coiste an Asgard, would be discontinued, as recommended in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure.

I am satisfied that the contributions to the above organisations are kept under review having regard to the current economic climate.

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