Vol. 495 No. 4
110 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether the Navy is to have a role in pollution control in view of the plans of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources to provide the Irish Marine Emergency Service with a pollution control tug. [20514/98]
The Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources has overall responsibility for all aspects of oil pollution of the sea and coastal areas. My colleague, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, recently mandated the Marine Emergency Advisory Group (MEAG), which comprises senior officers of the maritime and land based emergency services, including the Naval Service, to investigate the need for emergency towing vessels as a potent force for pollution prevention in marine emergencies.
One of the tasks assigned by Government to the Defence Forces is to provide, when requested, assistance in the area of pollution control at sea. The Naval Service and Air Corps will continue to give whatever assistance may be required by the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources from time to time in this area.
