Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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1724. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the progress to date and the indicative timeframe for completion of each of the 88 actions contained in the Government's White Paper on Defence. [41382/16]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The White Paper encompasses all work carried out by the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and Civil Defence. The 88 actions or projects which have been specifically identified are a subset of the totality of the work being carried out to implement the White Paper. Implementation of these specific actions will be carried out on a phased basis over a ten-year period. Implementation on a phased basis is necessary in order to reflect Programme for Partnership Government and Strategy Statement commitments, the related nature of some projects and resourcing implications. This process is being kept under review and will be subject to change as issues arise and other business dictates.

The White Paper actions are being implemented through the use of a project management framework. Civil/Military project teams are being established for each action as it is initiated. To date, 36 actions have been initiated. These actions cover a variety of areas and are at various stages of development. Each of the actions that have been initiated is being managed by a joint Civil/Military project team.

Progress on implementation will be reported on as part of the Annual Report and be comprehended within the development of the planned fixed cycle of defence reviews. A central aim of the implementation process is to ensure White Paper actions are fully embedded in the day-to-day business of the Defence Organisation. Updates on specific actions will be published in the normal manner through already existing channels across the ten-year implementation period.