Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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141. To ask the Minister for Defence the annual saving to his Department if spending on education and training was reduced by 2.5%, 5% and 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26917/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The table below outlines the information requested by the Deputy:

*This figure does not include Departmental Training Staff costs.

My Department is committed to Training and Development and is at all times conscious of maximising value for money.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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142. To ask the Minister for Defence the annual saving to his Department if spending on professional fees, including but not limited to legal, IT-related, accountancy and other advisory and consultancy, was reduced by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26946/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Professional fees paid by my Department for 2014 amounted to € 1.208m. In addition to the professional services referred to above, my Department also engages the services of civilian medical practitioners to provide primary care for the Permanent Defence Force when medical officers are not available or where specialist medical expertise is required. In 2014 my Department paid €3.68m to some 514 civilian medical service providers.

Based on 2014 figures a 10% reduction would give rise to annual savings of €120,875 on non medical professional services and €368,146 on medical professional services.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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143. To ask the Minister for Defence the annual saving to the Exchequer if the Minister's special adviser's salary was capped at the first point of the principal officer grade, that is €75,647; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26960/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have not appointed any special advisors in my role as Minister for Defence. All salary costs associated with my Special Advisors are met from the Vote of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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144. To ask the Minister for Defence the annual saving to his Department and the bodies under its aegis if the fees for all State agency, non-commercial State sponsored bodies and commercial semi-State board members were reduced by 25%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26975/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The only State body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board.

The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. The chairperson is in receipt of an annual fee of €7,618.

The annual savings to the Exchequer, if the annual fee paid to the chairperson of Army Pensions Board was reduced by 25%, would be €1,905.