asked the Minister for Defence how many of the Irish corvettes are at present on active service; and, if none, what arrangements he has made for proper coastal and fishery patrol and protection.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Naval Service Corvettes.
107.
There is one corvette at present in commission but this has been temporarily withdrawn from service for routine boiler-cleaning.
It has been arranged that the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will make available, for fishery patrol duties, the fishery research vessel Cú Feasa until the corvette mentioned becomes operational again. An officer of the Naval Service will serve on board the Cú Feasa as Sea Fisheries Protection Officer.
Is there any firing power on this new ship?
That is a different question.
Are we not trying to defend our fisheries?
It is not a separate question.
Those vessels are there for fishery protection work.
Are there any guns at all on them?
That is not the question I was asked.
I am asking a supplementary on the second part of Questiton No. 107. I want to know what arrangements he has made for proper coastal and fishery patrol and protection?
Does the Minister know?
I would point out that this is a separate question.
Surely we are entitled to know whether there is any fishery protection in this country at the present time?
The Chair understood the Minister to say that the fishery research vessel was being used for this purpose at the moment.
Put Deputy Blaney on it.
Put Deputy Ryan on it.
There is the gunman over there.
I want to ask the Minister whether there is any firing power whatsoever on the new fishery protection vessel, which he has seconded to the Irish Naval Service, and I want to ask him the number of Irish naval personnel serving on that vessel? That is an important supplementary question.
May I suggest that if Deputy Byrne wants the answer to those questions he should put down the appropriate questions in the House.
Where is this boat at the moment?
This is a hopeless performance——
I agree with you.
It is a hopeless performance on the Minister's part.
Deputies opposite ought to know how to put down a Parliamentary Question by now. Perhaps they are too preoccupied with Christmas cards.
Any Christmas cards I send I pay for them myself.