Vol. 524 No. 2
121 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when the new emergency towing vessels and flying eye pollution patrols announced by him on 3 August 2000 will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22027/00]
The Government, in May 2000, accepted in principle the findings of the emergency towing vessel study which included a recommendation for the deployment of an ETV to protect our coastal and marine resource and processes from the consequences of major oil pollution and vessel strandings.
The Government also agreed that my Department, in consultation with the Departments of Finance, Defence and the Environment and Local Government would assess and identify the most cost-effective means of acquiring an ETV and propose the uses to which an ETV capacity might be applied and make proposals on matters including its positioning, specification, operations and financing of such capacity. I expect to receive my Department's report before the end of this month and I await its recommendations.
Regarding the so-called "flying eye" or "eye in the sky" pollution monitoring and surveillance programme, this aerial surveillance pollution detection, prosecution and prevention programme is vital if we are to identify and prosecute polluters and enforce the pollution prevention regulations.
