I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 34 together.
From inquiries made of the US Embassy here I understand that the object to which the Deputy's question refers was not placed in Irish territorial waters nor on the seabed and that it had broken off a US vessel somewhere at sea. Consequently I have not made representations to the US Government in the sense suggested by the Deputy, nor do I plan to do so.
The object in question was a trailing antenna. This is simply a communications device, much like a car radio antenna, although considerably larger, which is trailed behind vessels, usually submarines, and is used to pick up any acoustic signals in the area.
Together with a second such object which had been found at an earlier date, the object in question was returned to the US authorities as a normal courtesy and shipped from Cork on 8 April 1982 by an Irish civilian haulage firm engaged by the US authorities. No reimbursement was sought from the US Government for the very small costs involved in bringing the object found near Dingle to Collins Barracks, Cork.
I am not aware that any objects of the kind mentioned have been found in Irish waters since March 1982. The Government have not received any requests for assistance in locating such objects in Irish waters and have not offered such assistance to other countries. I would not accept that the finding of the object referred to carries any implications for Irish neutrality.
