Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 May 2024
28. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to provide an update on his Department’s efforts to increase the sonar capability of the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21757/24]
View answerMy priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure the operational capacity of the Naval Service, Air Corps and Army is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government, as set out in the White Paper on Defence. Equipment priorities for the Naval Service, Air Corps and Army are being considered in the context of the capability and equipment development planning processes, with specific projects for Naval Service capabilities being considered as part of these planning processes.
There is a significant body of work currently underway to ensure that the Defence Forces have the required capabilities with equipment projects in various stages of the project lifecycle.
Most significantly for the subsea domain, the procurement process for a multi-beam sonar system for the P60 class of vessels is well advanced and is currently at the tender evaluation stage of a public procurement competition. Detailed negotiations are ongoing with all due diligence being conducted prior to the awarding of the tender. In addition, the civil-military working group established to progress a programme of work for subsea awareness capabilities is concluding a key stage of the process. The Needs Phase, which sets out the rational and justification for the capability and identifies and appraises potential solutions is due to complete shortly. This working group assessed a variety of capabilities including sonar capabilities in line with the new Infrastructure guidelines published in December 2023. Recommendations on an investment programme of work will be brought for approval shortly. The work completed to date, once approved, will provide clear direction for the development of enhanced subsea awareness capabilities for the Defence Forces.
