Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
30. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Naval Service ships are unable to take to sea (details supplied); and the steps taken or that will be taken to remedy this situation. [34672/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. In this context, I would highlight and acknowledge the security role of the Naval Service, a role which by its nature can go unrecognised or unacknowledged a great number of times. While 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, on any given patrol or patrol day the Naval Service can and do carry out a number of taskings on behalf of other State agencies such as the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners. The role the Naval Service plays in Ireland’s maritime domain is of central importance.
The Government has acknowledged the recruitment and retention issues that are currently impacting on Naval Service operations. A range of actions have been taken to date to address these issues and further actions are currently under consideration. The sea-going service commitment scheme and an extension of a tax credit, both for sea-going Naval Service personnel, are examples of targeted measures I have introduced which are aimed at retaining experienced personnel. I can assure the Deputy that notwithstanding current challenges being experienced, the Naval Service continues to carry out the roles assigned by Government, including fishery protection and maritime security operations. My focus is on returning the Naval Service to its full capacity.
On the matters raised in the addtional details supplied by the Deputy the following may be of interest.
The Naval Service recently played a key role in tracking and identifying a fishing vessel which was carrying drugs that were estimated to be worth €220 million. The vessel was intercepted off the Canary Islands after the Naval Service had brought the ship to the attention of Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC (N)) the EU anti-drugs agency. Ireland plays an important role in supporting EU efforts to disrupt drug trafficking into Europe and the Deputy may wish to note that the Defence Forces, in particular the Naval Service and Air Corps, just last week received the MAOC (N) Medal of Excellence. This award was presented by MAOC (N) to the Defence Forces for their role in assisting in the interception of Trans National Organised Crime vessels transporting drugs to Europe and I offer my sincere congratulations on this achievement.
On fisheries matters, I understand the Naval Service is working in close cooperation with the SFPA in relation to a re-emphasis of a risk based approach to fishery protection to better utilise resources - that is, delivering fewer boardings but boardings of a much higher quality. The success of this approach is evident in the number of detentions made by the Naval Service last year in 2020, a year when boardings and inspections were complicated by Covid-19 restrictions and mitigations.
The patrol of the EFCA ship referenced in the Deputy's article a is a product of greater EU cooperation in the area of fisheries protection rather than as a result of Naval Service activity levels. It should also be noted that an EFCA ship has patrolled the Irish EEZ prior to this year in cooperation with both the SFPA and the Naval Service, the article was incorrect on this. The Naval Service liaised closely with the ship when it was operating in the Irish EEZ. The Deputy is advised that, in general, in relation to cooperation among EU Member States on the Common Fisheries Policy and fisheries protection, Ireland has the highest pre-commitment to EFCA Joint Deployment Days of any EU Member State.
I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that in the context of Brexit, the Fisheries Monitoring Centre, FMC, plays a key role in processing the required fishery control Prior Notifications for fishing vessels from 3rd (non-EU) countries fishing in the Irish EEZ and for Irish fishing vessels fishing in 3rd countries' EEZs. From 1st January this year the UK became a 3rd country in terms of fisheries control which has led to a considerable increase in Port State Control requests received by Ireland. I would like to commend the FMC for playing a key role in facilitating a smooth transition to this new way of doing business.
The multi-faceted nature of the role of the Defence Forces in Irish life is an aspect of our Military that I am particularly proud of and this is a key feature of the Naval Service.
