asked the Minister for Defence (a) the price paid for each of the three minesweepers purchased about twelve months ago in England; (b) the amount spent on repairs to date on each of them; (c) the number of days each of them has served at sea; and (d) if he regards the transaction as having been a worthwhile investment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Minesweeper Purchase.
29.
(a) It is not the practice to disclose the price paid for individual vessels. The total purchase price of the three minesweepers, as lying, was £314,000. (b) The amounts spent on repairs, maintenance and drydocking to date are: L.E. "Grainne" £5,193; L.E. "Banba" £12,446; L.E. "Fola" £3,812. (c) The number of days spent at sea in each case up to 28th February, 1972, was: L.E. "Grainne" 113 days; L.E. "Banba" 61 days; L.E. "Fola" 63 days. (d) The transaction was a worthwhile and, indeed, essential investment.
Is the Minister aware that there is a feeling in the town of Cobh and area that the purchase of those minesweepers constituted a really bad investment for the State?
It is the experts' opinion with which I am concerned and in their opinion and in mine we bought secondhand vessels and got good value and made a good investment.
Could the Minister say how many foreign trawlers those minesweepers have captured in the past 12 months?
That is a separate question.
It is not. They were at sea. Surely they were doing something. What were they doing at sea?
The Minister is at sea.
Question No. 30 postponed.