Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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325. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount of money that has been paid for Ireland’s participation in NATO’s operational capability concept on an annual basis since Ireland joined Partnership for Peace (details supplied). [35253/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Operational Capability Concept (OCC) is an evaluation and feedback process that provides for external evaluation by trained evaluators of declared military capabilities in accordance with NATO standards. The White Paper on Defence 2015 refers to utilising NATO as the standard and benchmark for the Defence Forces, it being the ‘ISO of the military world’. The Defence Forces involvement with OCC is a reflection of how they strive to reach that standard and benchmark.

The Defence Forces joined the OCC Programme in 2016. It is an aspect of Ireland’s participation in Partnership for Peace, which is seen as fundamental to Ireland being able to meet its obligations in providing professional peacekeepers for multinational crisis management and peacekeeping operations mandated by the UN.

There is no membership fee associated with OCC. Since joining OCC, a total of 49 Defence Forces' personnel have attended OCC courses and events and a number have qualified as OCC evaluators.  Costs relating to attendance at training and other activities both home and overseas, such as travel and subsistence, are met from within the existing travel and training budget of the Defence Forces.