Written answer
Defence Forces
96. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Defence the amount of extra capital and current funding allocated to the Defence Forces during Ireland's Presidency of the EU. [52714/26]
Comment on this
The Defence Vote Group is comprised of two Votes, Vote 35 (Army Pensions) and Vote 36 (Defence). The high-level goal of both Votes is to “provide for the military defence of the State, contribute to national and international peace and security and fulfil all other roles assigned by Government.” Accordingly, Defence & Army Pension outputs are delivered under a single programme on each Vote.
The Defence Vote Group was provided with an overall funding allocation of €1.49 billion for 2026, a record allocation, and an increase of €142 million (11%) compared to 2025, comprising of €1.175 billion for the Defence Vote and €317 million for the Army Pensions Vote.
For 2026, the current funding allocation for the Defence Vote includes €598 million for pay and allowances, supporting up to 9,140 public service employees, and €277 million in non-pay current expenditure mainly for Defence Forces operational and standing costs, including utilities, fuel, catering, maintenance, information technology and training.
The 2026 capital allocation of €300 million provides for the procurement and upgrading of defence equipment and infrastructure. This is the highest capital allocation ever provided to Defence and, under the revised National Development Plan framework, is due to increase further to €340 million in 2027 and 2028, and to €360 million in 2029 and 2030.
Within the Defence Vote, an allocation of €900,000 was provided in 2026 to the Administration budget to support a series of EU Presidency-related meetings. No additional current or capital funding has been allocated to the Defence Forces specifically in respect of security-related tasks for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with all related expenditure to be met from within existing resources. While the Defence Forces provide support, where required, it should be noted that primary responsibility for security, including for major events, rests with An Garda Síochána.