Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Defence if, in view of the greater focus on intelligence exchange among countries to tackle large drug shipments by sea, he accepts that the decision made by him to cut Naval Service patrol days by 200 days will limit the capacity of the Naval Service in its capacity to deal with drug trafficking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23305/10]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the Estimates process for 2010, the Department sought to implement measures which would bring about the savings or the equivalent thereof as identified in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programme. As part of this process and to achieve a reduction in current expenditure, the Minister for Defence proposed a cut to the Naval Service patrol days in 2010. The planned number of patrol days for 2010 is 1,480.

The Naval Service has a concurrent multi-functional role as the State's primary sea going agency. On any given patrol day the Naval Service can carry out a number of taskings on behalf of other state agencies such as the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA), an Garda Síochána and the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners.

Naval Service patrols at sea undoubtedly act as a deterrent in the fight against drug trafficking. However, increasingly this role is governed by intelligence led operations and greater cooperation between both national and international agencies.

Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a Joint Task Force, (JTF) involving An Garda Síochána, the Customs Service and the Naval Service, have helped to maximise the effective use of Naval Service resources in combating drug trafficking. There is close co-operation between the civil authorities and the Naval Service in discharging this important mission.

Internationally, the establishment in 2007 of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre - Narcotics (MAOC-N) has led to a greater focus on intelligence exchange amongst countries to tackle large drug shipments by sea. MAOC-N was set up by seven European countries - Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Europol, the European Commission and the US Joint Inter-Agency Drugs Task Force (JIATF) are observers at the centre.

The centre is designed as an international co-ordination force with access to national tasking agencies and requires participation and resources from all active members. The Garda Síochána and the Customs Service have full-time officers based at the Centre in Lisbon. Irish Naval Service personnel travel to the centre when requested by the JTF.

I am therefore satisfied that with these initiatives in place, the Naval Service can continue to successfully battle against the threat of drug smuggling within its revised patrol pattern for 2010.