227. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 127 of 7 May 2026, the costs incurred as a result of outsourcing functions formerly performed by the defence forces since 2020; by function outsourced; by year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60310/26]

In the first instance, I would like to detail the functions formerly performed by the Defence Forces that have been outsourced since 2020, which were set out in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 127 of 7 May 2026.

Army

Long-term

• A number of Communications & Information Systems functions have been outsourced, with technical support being provided in various areas.

• Some of the maintenance and upkeep of certain Defence Force Installations has been contracted out to private companies.

Short-term

• The current Transport Vehicle Body Repair and Recovery contract provides for the engagement of external service providers to deliver vehicle crash repairs and painting services.

• Specialised ordnance instructors have been brought in to temporarily support the delivery of instruction to students of the Ordnance School.

• A private company has been contracted to undertake PDF and RDF occupational and induction Part 2 medicals.

• Medical Services, including primary care, pharmacy and dental services as well as agency services to address a current shortage of medical personnel to undertake specialist roles e.g. nurses, lab technicians etc.

• Army Training – certain courses e.g. Mortar Platoon Commanders, 2I/C and NCO have been undertaken externally.

Naval Service

Long-term

• The maintenance of certain ships’ main engines and propulsion systems has been enhanced and outsourced, through an Optimised Maintenance contract.

• The maintenance of various other Naval Service equipment, including diving equipment and RHIB (small boat) maintenance has been outsourced.

Short-term

• Civilian technician support has been utilised across the Naval Service due to shortages of Defence Forces qualified personnel.

• Due to a shortage of qualified technicians, certain training courses/modules in the Naval College have been delivered externally.

• CPL support recruitment services in the Naval Service. Recruitment is not outsourced, but CPL work alongside and augment NS and DF personnel in supporting NS recruitment.

Air Corps

Long-term

• Second line maintenance for certain aircraft types has been outsourced, including instances where additional maintenance support is required.

• Civilian technician support has been used to provide technical support to the Air Corps.

Short-term

• Due to a shortage of air traffic control personnel, ATC operational capability has reduced since June 2025. Contractual agreement set up with an external service provider (ASG Ltd) to provide Flight Information Service Officer (FISO) services at the Aerodrome.

• Flight Operations – some Ministerial Air Transport Service Charter flights and PC9M Flight Line Support (Ramp Operations) have been delivered by external service providers.

• Flight Training – certain ab initio pilot training has been undertaken externally.

• Certain technician training has been delivered externally.

It is important, as I have indicated previously, to distinguish between instances where a function has been outsourced on a long-term basis and instances where external resources have been engaged to undertake a function on a short-term basis due to staffing or skills shortages.

Indeed, there are many factors that can influence the decision to outsource the provision of particular services for the Defence Forces, and, in some cases, it may be the only practicable option.

As with all defence expenditure, decisions to outsource are considered within robust internal planning frameworks and, at all times, seek to strike the optimum balance between security, capability, cost and operational effectiveness.

Where duties and services have been outsourced on a short-term basis, the Defence Forces have engaged external service providers to enhance capacity or to perform the duty or service due to temporary personnel or skills shortages. The intention would be to revert to the duty or service being performed in-house when feasible.

There are no immediate plans to have those functions currently outsourced on a long-term basis undertaken by the Defence Forces as it would not represent value-for-money to deliver these services in-house.

As the Deputy will be aware, there are also some services, for example generic ICT requirements, which, in common with many civil and public service bodies, are routinely provided by external service providers.

It cannot be assumed that having these functions taken back into the Defence Forces will result in any significant savings as there will be an obvious cost to the Defence Forces in building back the capability necessary to have such functions undertaken by the Defence Forces in the future.

I would also make the point that my Department has a broad range of audit and assurance arrangements in place that provide financial regularity and probity and ensure ongoing adherence to core Value for Money (VFM) principles.

These arrangements encompass strong internal controls such as financial delegation and accountability, clear segregation of duties, monthly Management Board scrutiny and an embedded risk management system.

These structures are further complemented and strengthened by ongoing reviews undertaken by an independent Internal Audit Unit and robust external scrutiny, both ongoing and periodic, from, inter alia, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committee and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform & Digitisation.

Collectively, this comprehensive approach to governance enhances transparency, safeguards public funding, and ensures that all Defence spending is well-managed and compliant with applicable public financial and procurement procedures.