Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 May 2014
20. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence the basis upon which the USS Letye Gulf, a guided missile cruiser was docked in Cobh Harbour on 14 April; the dealings it had with the Irish Navy; and his views on whether this is a breach of our neutrality. [20058/14]
View answerAs indicated by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in his reply to your parliamentary question on 30 April, visits from foreign naval vessels are a long-standing and common practice in Ireland and worldwide. Foreign naval vessels are granted permission to visit Irish ports on condition that they meet the necessary policy stipulations, which require that the vessels are not carrying nuclear weapons and are not engaged in a naval exercise. The vessel in question was in Ireland as part of a routine visit and was granted permission to dock on the basis that it met these criteria.
Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence (2000) is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power which in practice means to assist, on request, An Garda Síochána who have primary responsibility for security matters. In this regard, the Naval Service was requested by An Garda Síochána to provide support with security arrangements for the visit. Accordingly, a Naval Service rib and a number of personnel were deployed to provide on-water security support. The Naval Service also provided a liaison officer facility for the USS Leyte Gulf, which is a standard courtesy afforded to all visiting naval vessels. In addition, the Naval Service hosted representatives of the crew of the vessel for a short courtesy visit to the Naval Base, again in accordance with standard protocols.
