Coiste an Asgard is a company limited by guarantee under the companies Acts. The Minister for Defence is chairman of the board of directors and appoints up to 14 other directors. The secretary to an Coiste is a higher executive officer on secondment from the Department of Defence. Coiste an Asgard receives an annual grant-in-aid, which is lottery funded, from the Department of Defence. The grant-in-aid provided in this year's Defence Estimate is €625,000. Asgard II has five permanent crew, comprising the captain, mate, engineer, bosun and cook.
Vacancies for trainees on cruises aboard Asgard II are advertised in the public press. Each year the number of applications exceeds the places available, especially during the summer months. A total of 20 trainees is selected for each cruise and under the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources regulations a minimum of three of the trainees must have appropriate sail training experience. Subject to the foregoing, places are allocated by a selection committee comprising the secretary to an Coiste, the captain and the mate of Asgard II based on the following criteria: gender balance – about 50% male and female – age of applicants – priority is given to applicants in the age group 16-25 – result of previous applications – priority is given to applicants who had been unsuccessful in the previous year – and geographical spread – an effort is made to select applicants from different parts of the country.
Every effort is made to offer applicants their first choice of cruise and, where this is not possible, their next highest preferences. However, due to the excess demand for places, it is inevitable that some applicants will be disappointed.
If the Deputy provides details of any particular case, I will be happy to have the matter examined.
