162 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence the amount Ireland spends as a proportion of GDP on defence; the way in which this compares to the EU average spent on defence as a proportion of GDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20154/04]

Based on estimated GDP figures, defence expenditure in this country will be 0.6% of GDP in 2004. The latest year for which figures are available for other EU states is 2002 when average defence expenditure was 1.8% of GDP. The level of expenditure on defence in any particular country is influenced by a variety of factors, including that country's political and security environment, its history, demography and economy.