Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

109. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the increased defence expenditure committed to by Ireland under PESCO has been factored into the State's capacity to fund longer-term projects, for example, the capital plan 2016 to 2021; and if that increased defence expenditure will necessitate cuts to long-term projects such as the capital plan. [54589/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

110. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the increased defence expenditure committed to by Ireland under PESCO has been factored into the State's capacity to fund longer-term projects, for example, public sector pay increases; and if that increased expenditure will necessitate cuts to, or rowing back on, long-term projects such as public sector pay increases. [54590/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

111. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the knock-on effects of increased defence expenditure committed to by Ireland under PESCO on other expenditure, for example, health, education and housing have been examined; and the Government's plan to ensure that no cuts under other expenditure headings will be necessitated by the commitment to increase defence spending. [54591/17]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

112. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the detail of the Government's plans to raise the revenue necessary to finance the increased defence expenditure committed to by Ireland under PESCO without cutting other areas of public expenditure. [54592/17]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

122. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide a copy of the PESCO agreement, ancillary documentation and documents relevant to the primary agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54996/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 to 112, inclusive, and 122 together.

Expenditure Allocations for all Departments, both current (2018-2020) and capital (2018-2021), were published as part of the Budget documentation.  It is expected that any investment or expenditure on defence, including that arising from Ireland’s participation in PESCO, will be met from within these allocations, in the same way as current investment in EDA projects is met.  As such, PESCO will not result in a requirement for additional expenditure beyond the approved allocations nor is it expected to impact on any other areas of public expenditure. 

Costs may arise in respect of participation in specific PESCO Project(s) similar to the case where the Defence Forces participate in EDA Projects. As the projects will relate to the ongoing development of Defence Forces capabilities for peace support and crisis management operations, such costs would be incurred in the normal course and will therefore be met from within the Defence Vote. It is expected that sharing the costs of capability development across a number of member States should prove cost neutral in terms of overall projected defence expenditure.

It is important to reiterate that there is no requirement on Ireland or any other EU member State to achieve any specific target in relation to Defence expenditure, nor is there any agreement at EU level in this regard. The Deputy will be aware that the Lisbon Treaty explicitly provides that it is entirely a matter for Ireland, or any other Member State, to determine the nature and volume of its own defence and security expenditure, as well as the nature of its defence capabilities.

I have made arrangements for the key PESCO documents to be lodged in the Dáil Library, as follows:

- PESCO Notification as signed by Member States on 13 November 2017

- Irelands Notification Letter of 07 December 2017 and,

- Council Decision of 08 December 2017 establishing Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and determining the list of Participating Member States.

I will update the House on continuing developments on CSDP in the normal course, including in respect of Ireland's participation in PESCO.