Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to seek a ring-fencing of Army, Navy and Air Corps funding over the next decade. [43270/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In late 2013, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced that a Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) would commence in 2014 to review all elements of Government spending and inform decisions on expenditure allocations for the years 2015–2017. The Department of Defence made a submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in June, 2014, as part of the CRE process. Following on from the CRE, Budget 2015 set out the overall financial envelope for the 2015-2017 period. Within this envelope, decisions on resource allocation are made on a prioritised basis in accordance with assessed operational requirements. The Department is also preparing a new White Paper on Defence and this provides an opportunity to critically assess future demands and associated operational requirements. Working groups, which include both civil and military members, are considering likely future operational demands and the capabilities and resources required to meet these demands.

The White Paper on Defence will inform key decisions regarding defence provision for the next decade. I look forward to receiving an initial draft by the end of the year and it is my intention to present a final draft for consideration by Government, in due course. My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the Defence Forces retain the capabilities to fulfil all roles assigned by Government, both at home and overseas. In this regard, it will be important that future funding provision is consistent with the policy requirements determined by the Government.