Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the capital allocation for Defence in 2020; and the expenditure allocations for major capital infrastructure projects in the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and equipment. [3186/20]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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A capital expenditure allocation of €113 million has been allocated to Vote 36 Defence in 2020, an increase of €7 million on the corresponding 2019 NDP allocation. This is in accordance with the National Development Plan, which provides for an overall capital allocation of €541 million for Defence for the period 2018 to 2022.

The main categories of capital expenditure in the 2020 Defence allocation are as follows:

- Capability Development - €76 million;

- Defence Forces Built Infrastructure - €20 million;

- Military Transport - €6 million;

- Defence Forces Communication and Information Technology Equipment - €5 million;

- Other Equipment - €6 million.

This level of capital funding allows the Defence Organisation to undertake a programme of sustained equipment replacement and infrastructural development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, as identified and prioritised in the Defence White Paper.

It also demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that the Defence Forces have the capabilities necessary to deliver on all their assigned roles, both at home and overseas.