Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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807. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if funding (details supplied) that has been allocated has been drawn down and spent; if there has been a follow-up or appraisal of the funding given under the various programmes or headings; if any of the allocated funding has been recouped or unspent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20391/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Vote 36 Defence is managed through a single programme with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service. Expenditure by my Department is mainly on pay and allowances, operational costs and capital investment across the Defence Forces. My Department does not provide funding on a geographic basis, with the limited exception of the funding provided from the Defence Vote in respect of Civil Defence.

Civil Defence operations at local level are carried out under the control of the relevant local authority. Funding for Civil Defence operations is shared on a 70/30 basis between my Department and local authorities by way of an annual operational grant to each authority.  The grant covers all allowable administration and running costs for Civil Defence in each local authority. Other grants are also issued to local authorities from time to time towards the purchase of vehicles and equipment for Civil Defence use.

Details of grant funding provided to Mayo County Council for Civil Defence for the period in question is outlined in the table below.

My Department has appropriate levels of internal financial and risk assessment processes in place to monitor and control all aspects of this expenditure.