Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The two or possibly three offshore patrol vessels will be 80m to 90min length. The extended patrol vessel — wemay exercise an option to procure two such vessels — will be between 130m and 140m.These vessels will be able to perform the tasks to which the Deputy referred, including the provision of humanitarian relief. However, we must work out precisely what functions they will perform.

Drug interdiction, one of the functions of the Naval Service, has been taken into account. The prospect of increasingly adverse weather conditions was also considered. Reports from the Meteorological Office and projections for the future indicate that at least one extended vessel would be required to enable the Naval Service to properly perform its functions.

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