Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the question on Operation Sophia, Deputy Ó Snodaigh will know that picking up and rescuing migrants is one thing in which members of the Naval Service are involved, but they are also involved in gathering information on oil smuggling, patrols for illegal arms trafficking and monitoring the effectiveness of the Libyan coastguard and navy. I am due to travel out to the headquarters of Operation Sophia and to visit members of the Irish Naval Service in June this year and I will get a full briefing on some of the issues the Deputy raised.

The Deputy asked for specifics on the number of pick-ups of weapons and records of oil smuggling. Can I get back to him on those? I do not have the numbers to hand. We are only starting to participate in Operation Sophia and I wanted to get out there towards the end of 2017 but I did not get the opportunity to do so. Now that our Naval Service personnel are involved, I will go out a get a full brief of our involvement, as well as answers to the questions the Deputy asked.

The Deputy also asked about the detention centres in Libya. Migrant numbers in detention centres have gone down by 60%, which is approximately 4,000, and I gave the number in the course of a Topical Issue debate with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan on Tuesday evening. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade have raised the issue of migrants in detention centres in Libya at EU Council level.