Patrick Costello
Question:13. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Defence the operational usage of the LÉ Orla and LÉ Eithne since they were docked in 2019. [34691/21]
View answerTuesday, 29 June 2021
Questions (13, 14)
Cormac Devlin
Question:14. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the readiness of the Naval Service fleet and the plans for its future development. [34695/21]
View answerOral answers (7 contributions)
I thank the Minister for his time. I want to raise the issue of the Irish Naval Service. It has a very proud track record, not only in serving Ireland but within the EU and in Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean. As Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2017, I had the pleasure of awarding the freedom of entry to the LÉ Eithne in Dún Laoghaire. Colleagues have raised the issue of contracts, which is important. Improved conditions are required. I welcome the fact that a recruitment campaign is under way. The Naval Service was berthed on the quays the other day. The Minister might articulate for the House when we will see a return to full capacity in the Naval Service.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 14 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fisheries protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the EU. 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 to all areas of Irish waters as necessary. I am advised that the fleet is managed to ensure maximum availability to meet operational requirements. On any given patrol day, the Naval Service can carry out a number of tasks on behalf of other State agencies such as the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners.
The Naval Service has nine ships. The LÉ Orla and LÉ Eithne are currently in operational reserve, but can be called upon for surge operations in times of national emergency, as was the case when the LÉ Eithne was deployed to Cork city from 20 March to 24 June last year in support of Operation Fortitude and the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The LÉ Eithne acted as a forward logistics base and training platform in support of the HSE. Of the remaining seven ships, one is in the process of a midlife refit, which is expected to last 18 to 24 months. Six operational ships remain available.
Regarding the future development of the fleet, the replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi-role vessel, MRV, is the immediate project currently under way. The MRV project is an important development project and indicative of the commitment to ongoing investment in and development of defence capabilities. It is intended to hold a public tender competition in due course to cover the supply of the MRV, subject to availability of funding within the overall defence capital funding envelope. Projects for other vessel replacements will be considered over the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence in the context of overall capability development and funding along with the overall equipment development plan process.
In addition, the independent commission on the Defence Forces established last December will, as part of its work, examine issues relating to the Defence Forces' capabilities, structures and staffing. I expect that issues raised here today in regard to the Naval Service will feature as part of the commission's report, which will be available to me before the end of the year. I assure the Deputy that we are not waiting for the commission's report on investment and recruitment campaigns within the Naval Service. We have a serious issue to address and we are setting about doing that.
I welcome that and note the comments of the Minister on recruitment. As I said, I have witnessed that myself. The Defence Forces have a wonderful social media presence and have communicated their message about the recruitment campaign, apprenticeships and all sorts of other activities over the years successfully.
I note the comments of the Minister on the flagship LÉ Eithne. As he is probably aware, it is twinned with Dún Laoghaire Harbour, something that we are very proud of. I ask that if funding is to be released for a replacement for LÉ Eithne, consideration be given to continue to twin a ship with Dún Laoghaire. It is an important connection, given the size of the harbour and its strategic importance.
I also note what the Minister said about the two reserve ships. Effectively, there are eight ships, and one is currently under midlife repair. I ask the Minister to provide a note on the LÉ Eithne and the LÉ Orla.
We have two ships in reserve and one ship in a midlife refit, which takes a period of time. There are essentially six ships operational in our fleet at the moment. The two ships in reserve can be deployed if there is an emergency. Due to the fact that there are challenges in respect of the numbers in the Naval Service, we are focused on operating six ships safely with full crews. I am not willing to compromise on safety standards by under-crewing ships to try to get more ships out.
The two ships in reserve are ships that are close to 40 years old at this stage. We are now considering how we can get our fleet back up to eight or nine and how we can replace some of the ships that need to be retired from the fleet. That has to happen in parallel with getting the numbers back up again.
From my perspective, the main issue is the twinning of the ships. I note the great service of the LÉ Eithne , along with other ships, and the personnel that have crewed all of the various ships over the years. I ask that consideration be given to twinning between Dún Laoghaire and the replacement for the LÉ Eithne whenever that happens in the short term.
As I said, I acknowledge the work that is under way. I support the Minister's call for fully manned ships. Post the recruitment campaign and the encouragement of other personnel to come back to the Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces, that is important. I look forward to further updates from the Minister.
The Deputy will be pleased to hear that I was in Dún Laoghaire using the facilities of the harbour a few days ago when the Naval Service picked me up in a rigid inflatable boat, RIB, and took me to the LÉ George Bernard Shaw where we spent nearly 24 hours on patrol down the east coast and along the south coast.
It was a good opportunity to spend some time with our naval personnel and to speak to them about the challenges and issues for them in the Defence Forces in terms of their career choices and so on. It was time well spent. I also witnessed their training procedures on deck and the skill levels that our Naval Service has reached.
The Deputy would like the replacement of the LÉ Eithne to be twinned with Dún Laoghaire. I cannot commit to that now on the floor of the Dáil, but we will bear it in mind when those decisions are made. The Deputy might be able to refer to this conversation if it is successful.
I will. Do not worry.