Trevor Sargent
Question:102 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Defence the contribution made by armed force personnel to surveillance operations in Irish coastal waters. [22987/98]
Written Answers. - Naval Service Operations.
The main day to day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. The service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the shoreline to the outer limits of the exclusive economic zone. These patrols are carried out on a regular and frequent basis and are directed at all areas of Irish waters as necessary.
Fishery protection patrols are complemented by assistance provided by the Air Corps in the form of aerial surveillance by the two CASA maritime patrol aircraft. Other activities carried out by the Naval Service from time to time in support of other Government Departments, include search and rescue operations, aid to the civil power, salmon fishery patrols and assistance with oil pollution control at sea.
Responsibility for the prevention of the illegal importation of drugs rests primarily with the Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners. During the course of routine fishery protection patrols Naval Service vessels may be deployed to anti-drug smuggling operations. Naval Service vessels are specifically tasked from time to time to carry out drug search and interdiction operations in aid of the civil authorities.
Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a joint task force involving the Garda, the Customs Service and the Naval Service, have helped to maximise the effective use of Naval Service resources in combating the illegal importation of drugs. The designation of Naval Service personnel as enforcement officers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, has also increased the role and effectiveness of the Naval Service in the area of drug interdiction.