Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I fully agree. If we want to not only attract people to the Defence Forces but to retain them, we need to make sure the environment that they are working and training in is fit for purpose and insofar as possible, that it is as modern as it can be.
When you look at the next NDP and the capital plan for defence, we have €300 million being spent in 2026. In the next few years, it is rising to €360 million. When you break that down further and you look at how much we are investing in what we have just discussed, there will be €400 million of investment in infrastructure. This includes accommodation, offices and gyms. You then have aircraft hangers and naval berthage but I have seen in Gormanston, which is in my constituency, the investment that is taking place where members will be sleeping, eating, going to the gym, doing their day-to-day activities and their duties. There is a real commitment here to invest directly in the physical built environment and infrastructure.
Of course, I want to be able to do more because we know that there are many more barracks that need to see that overall investment. As I said, the intention is that every barracks and every area will benefit from the significant increase. If more money can be found, obviously, more money can be invested as well.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17