Vol. 457 No. 1
16 Mr. M. Smith asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself with the level of manpower available in the Naval Service; if he considers the existing levels to be adequate for fishery protection, surveillance on the importation of illicit drugs and emergency services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15122/95]
28 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Defence the plans, if any, he has to obtain EU aid to finance Naval fishery protection and anti-drug surveillance around the coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14985/95]
31 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Defence the proposals, if any, he has for developing the role of the Navy in combating drug smuggling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11523/95]
32 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Defence the plans, if any, he has to obtain EU aid to finance Naval fishery protection and anti-drug surveillance around the coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14984/95]
33 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Defence the progress, if any, made towards finalising plans for greater EU aid and financing of Naval fishery protection and drugs surveillance around the coastline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14968/95]
187 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the seizure by Irish Navy personnel of illegal drugs in 1995; and his views on whether the role of the Navy in preventing this illegal importation should be more formalised with EU assistance. [14961/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 28, 31, 32, 33 and 187 together. 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. The Naval Service currently has a total of seven vessels which are deployed in the most efficient manner on fishery protection duties having regard to current and predicted fishing patterns.
With the new arrangements on fishery control measures arising in 1996 the workload of the Naval Service is set to increase. These new measures will include the requirement for all fishing vessels to report to the Irish authorities before they enter or exit the Irish zone. In this regard, I am very committed to ensuring that sufficient resources are in place to enable the Naval Service deal with these additional demands and that a more sophisticated and comprehensive fisheries control and surveillance system is established in Ireland which will ensure that illegal fishing in Irish waters is a risk not worth taking.
Discussions are ongoing on a new EU fishery surveillance funding package to run from January 1996, to December 2000. Under this package, Ireland is seeking funding towards technical resources, new surveillance facilities and staff resources. An essential requirement will be the provision of an additional ship for the Naval Service during this period. Additionally, for the first time ever, it has been agreed that funding from the new package will be available to cover some element of the operational costs of Ireland's fishery surveillance operations.
On the question of manpower, I can say that recruitment to the Naval Service is kept under continuous review within the Department. The Department is currently in the process of enlisting 50 recruits for the Naval Service, 26 have already taken up duty and the remainder are expected to be enlisted shortly, at which stage the strength of the Naval Service will be at its highest ever level. If a commitment from the EU for funding towards an additional ship for the Naval Service is secured then the question of additional recruitment to the Naval Service will obviously have to be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
Officials from both my Departments have been working to finalise Ireland's proposals for funding under the new package. I expect that outline proposals for the overall Community-wide package will be agreed at the meeting of EU Fishery Ministers to be held at the end of this month. I can assure the Deputies that at that meeting I will be making the strongest possible case to acquire the best deal for Ireland on the basis that the Naval Service and Air Corps are responsible for protecting 16 per cent of EU waters.
As regards anti-drug surveillance the position is that responsibility for prevention of the illegal importation of drugs rests primarily with the Revenue Commissioners and the Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, including the Naval Service, respond to requests from the civil authorities for assistance, including assistance in combating the illegal importation of drugs, and they will continue to do so.
Existing resources have enabled the Naval Service to respond effectively to such requests. The recent Government decision on proposals to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs including the establishment of a Joint Task Force involving the Garda, the Customs Service and the Naval Service will help to maximise the effective use of Naval Service resources in combating the illegal importation of drugs. The designation of some Naval Service personnel as enforcement officers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994 will also increase the role and effectiveness of the Naval Service in this area. The question of whether additional resources are required will be kept under review as these proposals are implemented.
Following a Government decision earlier this year, an interdepartmental group drawn from various Government Departments was set up to establish departmental co-ordination in respect of the drugs issue at European level in the context of the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference. More specifically, one of the aims of the group is to identify possible initiatives that can be taken on action against drugs during the Irish Presidency in 1996. Both my Departments are represented in the group, the work of which is on-going.
With the record the Spaniards have for illegal fishing and the potential threat posed when they enter the Irish Box from January 1996, in addition to the importation of illicit drugs, which is an ever growing concern, it is clear from the Minister's reply that he is not satisfied with the level of manpower or the present position. Is it true that we have insufficient personnel to man surveillance equipment, Naval ships and Air Corps equipment?
No, it is not true. Despite various rumours, I have thoroughly investigated this matter and I am totally satisfied that there are sufficient personnel to carry out all the necessary duties the Naval Service is obliged to do, particularly in the fishery protection area. One of our ships, the LE Eimear, is currently undergoing a life extension refit similar to that which the LE Deirdre underwent in 1994. I am quite satisfied that we have sufficient personnel.
The Government will guarantee the implementation of European agreements that were reached on the accession of Spain and Portugal to the Common Fisheries Policy. As far as is humanly possible we will provide whatever resources are necessary because the fishing industry — both in terms of potential and personnel — is far too valuable for us to allow anybody to fish illegally. We have the assistance of two new CASA aircraft, as I am sure the Deputy is aware, which are of particular——
It was decided in our time in power.
I am delighted. Fair play. They are of great assistance to the Naval Service and will continue to be so. However, we need personnel on Naval ships in order to carry out inspections and to ensure that arrests are made in the context of the illegal importation of drugs. We will continue to supply such personnel.
