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

First, I concede that we have had challenges in the Naval Service in the past two years on a number of levels. We have had to prioritise where our ships are. We have had ships in the Mediterranean since May and we had some problems with a delay in the delivery of the LE James Joyce. We also had issues with maintenance, all of which contributed to limited resource availability for the reserve.

The Naval Service Reserve trains its members to supplement and aid the work of the Naval Service in carrying out its wide variety of roles. As part of their training, naval reservists receive instruction in motor boat handling, sail training, navigation, marine communications, weapons training, fire fighting and sea survival. Subject to the availability of seagoing berths, naval reservists also receive annual training on board Naval Service ships when on patrol. The availability of seagoing berths was, however, significantly restricted in 2014 for a number of reasons, including the non-availability of LE Orlaand LE Ciaradue to the necessity of urgent remedial works on both vessels. In addition, there was a requirement to carry out unforeseen maintenance arising from a serious engine problem encountered by LE Eithne. Furthermore, the priority requirement for new Naval Service recruits to be rotated to sea duty on completion of their professional training further limited the availability of sea berths for members of the reserve. With the Naval Service fleet having returned to its full complement of eight ships, it is envisaged that there will be scope for an increase in the number of seagoing days for reserve personnel in the future. For this reason, I anticipate that there will be an increase in 2016.

I wish to place on record my admiration for the members of the Naval Service Reserve, who provide valuable support to the Naval Service at sea and on land. They also provide support for a range of ceremonial events, most recently in Dún Laoghaire at the naming and commissioning ceremonies for the newest naval vessel, LE James Joyce.

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