Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is normal practice for the Minister for Defence to approve the twinning of a Naval Service vessel with a coastal city or town when the vessel is commissioned and has come into service. While no protocols for twinning are set down, the relationship between the town or city that was twinned with a recently decommissioned Naval Service vessel is traditionally maintained by twinning the newly constructed vessel with that location. For example, LE Samuel Beckettwas commissioned in May 2014 and was subsequently twinned with Cork, which was also the twinning port of the vessel it replaced, LE Emer. I understand that cities and towns greatly value this twinning arrangement. This was very apparent in the wonderful decommissioning ceremony that took place in Waterford last month for LE Aoife. Every effort is being made to have a wide geographical spread of twinning locations that have a strong maritime tradition and strong links with the Naval Service. Unfortunately, given the number of ships we have it is possible to have this arrangement with a limited number of locations only. The Deputy might be interested to know that at present, LE Eithneis twinned with Dún Laoghaire, LE Niamhis twinned with Limerick, LE Róisínis twinned with Dublin, LE Aislingis twinned with Galway, LE Aoifewas twinned with Waterford before it was decommissioned recently, LE Ciarais twinned with Kinsale, LE Orlais twinned with Dingle and LE Samuel Beckett, which is the newest addition to the Naval fleet, is twinned with Cork. When the LE Aoifeis replaced with the LE James Joycein the near future, we will have to make a decision on what city that ship will be twinned with.

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