Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, Deputy Barry's information is absolutely incorrect. We have eight ships and they are operating at present. I met the new flat officer commanding of the Naval Service, Commodore Mick Malone, recently. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the very best of luck. Yes, there are vacancies. I acknowledge that we have vacancies, and we are working towards filling those. There are quite a number of people in training for these positions. There is no restriction to training whatsoever. We are training people to our full capacity, but I would be the first to state that there are vacancies. However, let me state that all eight ships are fully operational at this moment.

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