asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself that the corvettes of the Naval Service are a suitable type of craft to give adequate protection against foreign trawlers fishing inside our territorial waters; and, if not, if he will consider providing and commissioning forthwith a faster type of armed trawler which could be built in our Irish shipyards and which would be more economical to run and give adequate protection to Irish fishermen against foreign penetration, which is becoming more pronounced each year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Corvettes.
I am satisfied that the corvettes of the Naval Service are adequate and suitable, both as regards speed and sea-going qualities, for fishery protection duties.
The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.
Would the Minister not agree that a corvette with its peculiar construction and high superstructure, which is visible miles away, is proof that this vessel is not effective for fishery protection duty? Furthermore, proof that they are not effective fishery-protection vessels is the encroachment of foreign trawlers along the Wicklow-Wexford and south coast of Ireland in increasing numbers every year. Will he, therefore, consider the second part of my question?
That is not my information. The corvettes are eminently suitable for fishery patrol duties. The only weakness is that we have not got enough of them.
Will the Minister not agree that a corvette can be seen miles away? How can it, therefore, be a suitable fishery protection vessel? The trawler has plenty of time to get away when the crew see it coming.
Is it not a fact that corvettes because of the depth of their draught can only enter five of our ports and are thereby limited in their range of activity?
They may be limited from the point of view of entry into ports, but their patrol range is very great. As I mentioned to Deputy Dr. Esmonde, the only weakness in relation to corvettes as fishery patrol vessels is that we have not got sufficient of them.