Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 November 2021
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which vessels in the Naval Service have been upgraded in line with best international requirements thereby facilitating their ability to engage in surveillance or rescue operations around Ireland’s coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56799/21]
View answer238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent of audits carried out to ascertain the extent to which all equipment, navigation and otherwise used by the Naval Service whether on a regular or occasional basis is up to specific standards of an international level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56805/21]
View answer241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which all seagoing vessels whether in permanent or occasional use meet international standards in respect of reliability or action worthiness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56808/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 232, 238 and 241 together.
My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained and developed to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government, including overseas deployments.
The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going 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 fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. There are nine ships in the fleet, with LÉ Eithne and LÉ Orla currently in operational reserve. The Naval Service is tasked with patrolling from the shoreline to the outer limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone. Patrols are carried out on a regular and frequent basis. I am advised by the military authorities that the fleet is managed and maintained so as to ensure maximum availability to meet operational requirements, including taskings on behalf of other State agencies.
Naval Service vessels are required to complete drydock maintenance, survey and inspection, twice during each ship five (5) year cycle. An intermediate drydock is carried out between two and a half (2.5) and three (3) years on each ship. A full drydock maintenance programme is carried out at five (5) years. Naval Service ships which are beyond their originally projected thirty (30) year asset life, are drydocked for inspection every year, in order to manage ageing hull risk.
Notwithstanding the capital maintenance programme for drydocks detailed above, Naval Service ships are required to undertake planned routine and non-routine maintenance on plant and machinery every day, 365 days a year, regardless of whether the vessel is on patrol, or alongside the Naval Base off Sailing Order.
The White Paper on Defence sets out an ambitious programme of capital investment in the Naval Service, including the mid-life refit and upgrade of the P50 class of vessels. This programme of works has been completed on LÉ Róisín and that ship has returned to operations, while works have commenced on LÉ Niamh.
The Defence Equipment Development Plan EDP provides a comprehensive list of planned equipment projects which will be progressed over five years. This plan builds on the intentions set out in the White Paper in relation to equipment acquisition, modernisation and upgrade and has been developed to ensure that our Defence Forces have the major equipment platforms, ancillary equipment and force protection equipment to carry out their important roles both at home and overseas.
The replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi-role vessel, MRV, is an important element of the EDP and is provided for in the Government's National Development Plan as a major capital project. It is the intention that this new vessel will provide a flexible and adaptive capability for a wide range of maritime tasks.
Following a public tender competition, Marine Advisors have been appointed to support the procurement of the MRV. This work is now underway and will inform a public tender competition in due course.
Projects for other vessel replacements are being considered over the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence in the context of overall capability development and funding along with the overall EDP process.
I am satisfied that the Defence Forces have a modern and effective range of equipment in order to fulfil the roles assigned to them by Government.
