Vol. 409 No. 10
8 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Defence if all seven fishery protection vessels are currently fully crewed; if so, if he will outline the additional personnel which have been recruited recently; and the rank held by each person.
11 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Defence the number of sailors in the Naval Service; whether some are currently undergoing training; and if so, when they will be ready for full-time duty.
37 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Defence whether all naval fishery protection vessels are fully operational at present.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 11 and 37 together.
All seven Naval Service patrol vessels are currently operational and are fully crewed. The total strength of the Naval Service is 1,008 comprising 130 officers, 876 other ranks and two cadets. A total of 146 recruits have been enlisted in the Naval Service since 1 January 1990 and all have completed their basic recruit training. Their present rank is seaman.
Nineteen personnel were enlisted as technicians in the rank of leading seaman in April-May 1991, and are at present undergoing a course of training which is due to terminate in November 1991.
As in other areas of the Defence Forces, training at all levels of the Naval Service is a continuous process.
Is the Minister aware of the concern in the fishing community about the non-operation of these vessels and that there is a widely held view that all seven vessels cannot operate simultaneously? There is concern that Spanish boats poaching in Irish waters are not being hauled in.
The sort of concern that has been expressed to me relates to these vessels being overactive.
I was referring to Spanish ships in particular.
The naval vessels are fully crewed, fully operational and providing an excellent service. The record of successful prosecutions with regard to Spanish and Irish vessels is there for anyone to see. They are providing an excellent service and I do not know of any justifiable complaints.
Can all seven vessels operate at sea simultaneously? Over the past 12 months, how many foreign trawlers have been prosecuted for fishing inside our waters?
That is a separate question, Deputy.
It is an integral part of the issue, and the Minister raised it in his reply.
If the Minister wishes he can reply to the earlier part of the question but he cannot reply to the latter part.
I seek clarification from the Minister in relation to his reply to the question in the name of Deputy Mitchell. I welcome the news that 146 extra recruits are now operating as able seamen, but could the Minister inform the House whether the extra recruitment enables all seven vessels to be at sea together? I recall hearing Fianna Fáil Senators on the radio pleading at length with the Minister to put extra vessels to sea to protect the fishermen off the south-west coast. Surely the Minister must be aware that there is widespread concern in the fishing community at the lack of protection offered at this time by our navy? Will he confirm whether it is now feasible and practical to have all seven naval vessels at sea together protecting our waters?
It is feasible, practical and realistic for all seven to be at sea together, but as everyone knows, for reasons of maintenance, crew changes and so on there will be times when the boats have to come ashore. All the vessels are operational and fully crewed and capable of providing an excellent overall service. A complaint was made recently when the service was called to intervene in a dispute between Spanish and Irish fishing boats. That is a very difficult and complicated matter. The Naval Service is there to provide fishery protection and surveillance. The dispute between individual fishermen, whether they be local fishermen or Spanish and local fishermen, is a complicated issue. We have certain responsibilities in that area and certain restrictions as well.
Are the crews of the fishery protection vessels augmented particularly at this time of the year by additional personnel in salmon protection? Do the fishery protection vessels deal exclusively with salmon protection at this time of the year so that the seas around our coasts are left to the mercy of our competitors from other countries?
The Deputy should have put down a separate question about that. There has been co-operation between the regional fishery boards and the Naval Service on salmon protection. This is at times an inshore fishery as well as a sea fishery. There has been considerable co-operation between the personnel of the regional fishery boards and the Naval Service but there is no question of our other resources being left to the mercy of foreign boats. The service is an overall service. We have excellent facilities. We recently got the Newcastle which is fully equipped with highly sophisticated radar equipment and so on. We have an excellent protection service.
I understand that there will be times when vessels are tied up for maintenance reasons and so on. Is the Minister informing the House that we have adequate numbers of trained personnel to ensure, notwithstanding requirements for maintenance and so on, that all seven vessels can be put to sea at the same time?
We discussed this here on a previous occasion and I am raising it again because doubts were expressed as to the capability of providing the service. I have been assured that it is possible to provide this service. Everyone knows it is not always possible to have all boats out at once because of changes in crew, maintenance etc. The Deputy is raising a matter about the Naval Service, which is a fishery protection service, being involved in sorting out disputes between individual fishermen. That is a separate matter and the Deputy should put down a separate question.
Would the Minister consider allowing members of An Slua Muirí on the seven naval protection vessels, particularly for the summer months?
This is an operational matter and I would have to ask the people in charge of the protection service if it would be advisable for An Slua Muirí to get involved in this activity.
Will the Minister check it out?
An Slua Muirí are a voluntary organisation.
