Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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40. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that total global military expenditure reached $2,443 billion in 2023; that this is the highest military spending on record; that this military spending means vast numbers of badly needed homes, schools and hospitals are forgone to fund warfare; if he will urge world leaders to end this dangerous escalation of militarisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27524/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally altered the security situation in Europe. The direct threat posed by Russia against neighbouring countries, including the increasing use of hybrid activity, has led to a much greater focus on security and defence in many EU Member States.

More broadly, Ireland and our EU partners find ourselves in an increasingly contested, dynamic and volatile global security environment, marked by growing instability and conflict across the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

At EU level, this deteriorating security situation has seen Member States therefore commit to increasing and developing their own national capabilities to meet these growing threats and security challenges. This in turn reflects the very real dangers that many of our EU partners face today.

While militarily neutral, Ireland is not immune from such threats. Having progressed a national conversation on these issues in 2023 through the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy, the Government is now advancing a range of measures to meet the challenges of the future, including through the ongoing transformation of the Defence Forces.

At international level, Ireland remains resolutely committed to the core principles and values enshrined in the UN Charter, to the rules-based international order and international law, and to the maintenance of international peace and security.

In this context, we continue to work with our international partners to build peace, to strengthen conflict prevention and to ensure accountability. This international engagement is based on our own experience of conflict in Ireland, the leading role we have played in the promotion of disarmament, and our strong tradition of peacekeeping. In addition, our own international development programme is focused on addressing the needs of those living in the poorest or most climate-exposed countries, as well as those whose lives are affected by war and conflict.