Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
154. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the sales and acquisitions by the Naval Service's vessel replacement programme; the cost of each sale and acquisition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15975/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.
The most significant investment of recent years by the Defence Organisation has been on the procurement of the new Off-Shore Patrol Vessels for the Naval Service. This programme has seen the delivery of three new Naval Service vessels since 2014. The LÉ Samuel Beckett was commissioned in May 2014, LÉ James Joyce was commissioned in September 2015 and LÉ William Butler Yeats was commissioned into service in October 2016.
In June 2016, a contract for an additional sister ship was placed with Babcock International, a British company, bringing investment in the new ships programme to some €250 million since 2010. The fourth ship, to be named LÉ George Bernard Shaw, is scheduled for delivery later this year.
Future Naval Service capabilities are being planned as part of the White Paper project planning process which will determine the Defence Organisation's maritime capabilities. The White Paper provides for the replacement of the current Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi role vessel (MRV). It is the Government’s intent that this new vessel will provide a flexible and adaptive capability for a wide range of maritime tasks, both at home and overseas. Planning has commenced on this project and it is intended to hold a public tender competition in due course to cover the supply of the MRV. This procurement is, of course, subject to the availability of funding within the overall Defence capital funding envelope. The cost of the MRV will only be known once the tender competition is concluded.
In the context of the impending entry into service of new vessels, three ships older ships LÉ Emer, LÉ Aoife and LÉ Aisling were decommissioned. Extensive engineering surveys and analyses were carried out by the Naval Service on these vessels given their age and service history prior to decommissioning.
LÉ Emer was disposed of in 2013 by way of sale by public auction for €320,000. A slightly different situation arose in 2015 in relation to the disposal of the LÉ Aoife. The original intention was to sell LÉ Aoife by way of public auction in the same manner. However, following a formal expression of interest from the Maltese authorities in acquiring LÉ Aoife, and subsequent discussions between the then Minister for Defence and the Maltese Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, the plan to sell LÉ Aoife was reconsidered. The Maltese authorities requested the ship for their armed forces to patrol the Mediterranean Sea to endeavour to deal with the on-going difficult refugee crisis in the region. The then Minister agreed to the transfer of ownership of LÉ Aoife to the Maltese Armed Forces on humanitarian grounds. While the vessel was no longer viable for use in Irish waters, it was ideally suited to address a pressing short-term requirement for the Maltese authorities. Last year the LÉ Aisling was sold by way of public auction for €110,000.
The investment in modern new vessels will ensure that the operational capabilities of the Naval Service are maintained to the greatest extent. I am satisfied that the current provisions, together with the courses of action in the White Paper, will continue to ensure that the Naval Service, as the State's principal seagoing agency, is suitably equipped to fulfil all roles assigned by Government.
