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

To be clear, the subsea cables that connect Ireland internationally are not at the moment the legal responsibility of the Irish Naval Service. That being said, we want to improve capacity all the time and we are investing in our fleet in order to do that. We have invested significantly in our naval fleet in the last ten years and we will continue to do so. We have to do that in a way that is planned and consistent with the capital investment programme.

The commission report will allow us to focus very strategically on the resources that are needed to improve defence capacity at sea, in the air and on land. I hope that when the time comes to look at the resourcing question the Government will have the support of Sinn Féin in terms of improving our defence resource.

See this speech in context