Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Defence the extent to which expenditure and investment in the Defence Forces remains adequate to meet current and-or future requests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11648/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As part of the 2015-2017 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) process, the Department of Defence submitted a detailed proposal to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in May, 2014. Following on from this CRE submission and subsequent bilateral discussions, an overall financial envelope for the 2015-2017 period was outlined, and the 2015 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) provided an allocation of some €677m for the Defence Vote.

This allocation provides some €496m towards the pay and allowances of up to 9,500 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel, 625 civilian employees, 350 civil servants, 18 chaplains and 14 army nurses. It also provides €181m for non-pay costs relating to the replacement and maintenance of essential equipment and operational costs.

Decisions on resource allocation are made on a prioritised basis in accordance with any assessed operational need. However, I am confident that the 2015 Defence allocation is adequate to deliver effective services across all of the roles assigned by Government.

Work continues on the development of a new White Paper on Defence. Working groups comprising civil and military representatives from the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces are considering future operational demands and the defence capabilities required to meet these demands. I anticipate that the final draft of the White Paper will be submitted to Government for approval by the end of July. Subject to Government approval, the White Paper on Defence will then be published.