Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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837. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the unallocated spend within his Department for 2017; the expenditure allocated to programmes in 2017 which are due to cease in 2017; the funds that will become available within his Department's expenditure profile in 2018 due to changes in demand for services and goods and-or changes to costs within his Department and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32241/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The total gross budget allocation for the Defence and Army Pension Votes in 2017 is over €921m. This allocation provides for the pay and allowances of the Defence Forces and civil servants and civilian employees in the Defence Sector, ongoing standing and operational costs of the Defence Forces and also facilitates investment in essential equipment and infrastucture. It also provides for the payment of pension entitlements to former members of the Defence Forces as well as funding for Civil Defence and a grant towards the running costs of the Irish Red Cross.

The budget allocation allows the Defence Forces to deliver on all their assigned roles, both at home and overseas, and facilitates investment in essential equipment and infrastructure, as set out in the White Paper on Defence.

The Defence and Army Pensions Estimate Provision for 2017 is expected to be fully expended by year-end. The expenditure allocation for 2018 will not be settled until the budgetary process is concluded later in the year. No reduction in demand for goods and services is envisaged for 2018. Defence expenditure programmes are on-going in nature and none are due to cease in 2017, with capital programmes for replacement of essential equipment for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service and upgrade of Defence Forces built infrastructure continuing to require funding for 2018 and subsequent years.