Sinn Féin Pre-Budget submission 2004
Divert Defence dividends to social spending
Since the commencement of the 1998 plan to sell off surplus Defence properties, the Government has secured approximately €63.5 million in sales. The projected total revenue once the sales are completed is €85-€100 million.
Monies received to date have been used to underwrite defence spending, much of which has been on upgrading required under EU-NATO interoperability agreements. The Department recently estimated that €150 million has been spent on upgrading since 1997. As an EU-NATO military harmonisation deadline has now been set for 2010, such spending is likely to accelerate over the next few years. Indeed, the Department of Defence estimates that this could cost as much as €340 million over the next decade.
There can be no justification for NATO harmonisation spending when the state is bleeding from health and education cuts, and the Government is urging fiscal restraint. The revenues from Defence property sales should be used to pay for essential, safety-related Defence modernisation with the balance being redirected towards urgently needed social spending.
Sinn Féin recommends:
• Eliminating spending on EU and NATO compliance measures that can only draw Ireland deeper into an EU Common Defence
Equality proofing and equality spending to benefit majority
