321. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Defence the amount the Air Corps operating budget grew by from 2020 to 2026. [30234/26]

At a strategic level and within unique civil-military structures, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces work closely to “defend Irish sovereignty, protect Irish citizens and secure Irish interests in support of Irish Society, the Irish economy, our collective well-being and our territorial integrity”. Sectoral funding to support the delivery of these strategic objectives, is provided through the Defence Vote Group, comprising of two Votes, Vote 35 (Army Pensions) and Vote 36 (Defence).

As part of annual Estimates processes, the Defence budget is considered and agreed across pay, non-pay, current and capital expenditure parameters within the overarching national budgetary framework. Annual budgets are approved by Government and subsequently subjected to varying levels of Oireachtas and Comptroller & Auditor-General oversight and scrutiny.

Expenditure under the Defence Vote is managed through a single programme with all operational outputs delivered from a single set of forces encompassing Army, Air Corps and Naval Service domains. Accordingly, Air Corps pay, allowances and supporting operational costs are included within the overall programme costs across the appropriate subheads of the Vote and are not identified separately.

As part of these structures, specific annual funding is provided under Subhead A.9 (Air Corps: Equipment & Support) of the Defence Vote, towards aircraft equipment, maintenance and fuel costs, specialised training and other related costs. The allocation provided to Subhead A.9 has risen from €17.7 million in 2020 to €50 million in 2026, an increase of €32.3 million.

This growth in funding reflects the increased operational and training demands placed on the Air Corps while also supporting the need for continued investment in equipment capability and improved operational readiness and safety.

All expenditure under subhead A.9 is managed within established Defence financial governance and oversight arrangements, This ensures that all Air Corps operational funding is directed in a targeted and proportionate manner that ultimately supports the safe and effective delivery of Air Corps outputs while also contributing to the wider, integrated Defence Forces capability, readiness and resilience objectives.