Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are operating the same number of ships as we operated this time last year. We also have similar commitments to those we had last year in the Mediterranean. The Deputy referred to what the Chief of Staff said last week at the committee meeting. He said that in all his years in the Naval Service days at sea had been lost for a variety of reasons.

Five per cent of the days lost at sea were due to personnel reasons. That has always been the case and there is nothing new in it. I have spoken about the challenges faced in the Naval Service. We are considering our commitments in 2019. However, this is one of our main commitments to the Sea-Fisheries Protection Agency and it will continue to be the case in 2019. We have an excellent relationship with it. I have instructed senior officials in my Department to meet its chief executive officer. The letter came from a more junior person within the agency; it did not come from the chief executive officer and I want to get to the bottom of it. We will continue to prioritise our commitment to the agency.

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