Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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665. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the EU funds his Department accesses; the plans he is putting in place to access these funds to a greater degree in view of Brexit; if he will outline initiatives he is pursuing to establish access to new funds in view of the challenge of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8803/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Defence currently has the opportunity to access EU funding under Ireland’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme (2014 – 2020) which was adopted on 4 December 2015 by the European Commission. The Operational Programme provides for funding of €18.5 million, of which €12 million is EU funding, for the replacement and upgrade of ships and aircraft, for undertaking Specific Control Inspection Programmes and for other control priorities. In addition the programme provides for shared funding with the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority of €5.5 million, of which €4.95 million is EU funded, for the renewal of technologies as well as for training and compliance promotion. In addition, the Department of Defence is also accessing EU funding through the Horizon 2020 programme. Government approved arrangements in July 2011, whereby Enterprise Ireland (EI) would support the Department of Defence and Defence Forces capability development through engagement with Irish-based enterprise and research institutes on the use and application of innovative civilian technologies in the military sphere.

The Government decision allows for greater engagement with EI and EI supported companies, which contributes to Defence Forces capabilities across the full range of its activities. It is through this engagement that the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence has been involved in accessing EU funds under the Horizon 2020 programme. Horizon 2020 is an EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020). The Defence Forces has been involved, as a consortium member, in a number of proposals for Horizon 2020 funding since the launch of the programme and enjoyed their first success in 2016 as a consortium member of the ROCSAFE project. Over the next three years, funding of up to €90,000 can be accessed for the Defence Forces role in this project.

A further defence related proposal, known as the European Defence Action Plan was made by the Commission in November, 2016 which includes details of a future European Defence Fund. The purpose of this Fund is to promote research and innovation and contribute to the strengthening of the European defence technological and industrial base, and to further stimulate the development of key defence capabilities. The Commission has proposed that the fund would have a research and capability windows.

Under the "research window", €90m in funding would be made available for collaborative defence research projects over the period 2017-2020 in what is known as the “Preparatory Action”. The Commission also propose that post 2020, a European Defence Research Programme will be established with funding of €500m per annum. It should be noted that this has yet to be negotiated as part of the post 2020 Multiannual Financial Framework. The “capability window” of the fund may also bring opportunities for Irish Industry.

While the Action Plan is at the very early stages and a lot has yet to be finalised, a co-ordinated approach is being adopted by relevant Government Departments to ensure that Ireland is optimally positioned to avail of the industrial and employment opportunities that may eventually arise from the Commission proposals. In that regard, officials in my Department are co-ordinating with their counterparts in other Government Departments in relation to the proposals. These include the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

As the UK has not left the EU and withdrawal negotiations cannot begin until Article 50 has been triggered by the UK, it will not be known what impact Brexit may have on these two particular EU Programmes for some time. The Government has adopted a contingency framework to deal with all issues arising in respect of the UK vote to leave the EU. Accordingly, any issues arising will be addressed within that framework.

I am satisfied that all efforts are being made to access EU funding that is available to the Defence sector.