Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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409. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if there are plans to replace the LÉ Ciara. [1211/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government both at home and overseas.

The White Paper on Defence sets out an ambitious programme of capital investment in the Naval Service including the mid-life refit and upgrade of the P50 class vessels, LÉ Róisín and LÉ Niamh, as well as, in due course, the replacement of the flagship vessel LÉ Eithne. The P50 mid-life upgrade programme is well underway.

LÉ Ciara was built in 1984 and underwent a planned annual dry-docking at the end 2019 and is operational. The vessel has in the last year, for example, assisted the Coast Guard in Search and Rescue operations. As a result of the White Paper commitment to vessel replacement, the replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi role vessel (MRV) is the immediate White Paper project in this context. Planning has commenced on this project and it is intended to hold a public tender competition in due course to cover the supply of the MRV, subject to availability of funding within the overall Defence capital funding envelope. Projects for other vessel replacement will be considered over the life-time of the White Paper in the context of overall capability development and funding and the Equipment Development Plan (EDP) process.

The examples given, whilst not exhaustive, demonstrate my commitment to update and upgrade the Defence Forces equipment and maritime capability, within the financial envelope available. In accordance with the National Development Plan, the capital allocation for Defence was increased to €113 million for 2020, an increase of €7 million. The National Development Plan provides for a total of €541 million for Defence over the period 2018-2022. Budget 2021 provides for a further increased gross allocation to €131m in the defence capital budget in respect of equipment and barracks infrastructure. This level of capital funding will allow 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 and builds on the significant investment programme over recent years.

I am satisfied that the Defence Forces have the necessary modern and effective range of equipment available to them which is in line with best international standards in order to fulfil all roles assigned to them by Government.