Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his answer. I am pleased to hear that there is to be significant investment in capital projects for the Naval Service. As the Minister is aware and as commentary has indicated, it has always been viewed a bit as the Cinderella of the Defence Forces. I like the fact that the Minister may be coming as the Prince Charming to give more money to the Naval Service.

As other Deputies, including Deputy Brady, mentioned, we cannot ignore what happened with the Nord Stream pipelines in the recent past. It is a matter of extreme concern that it appears to be the case that there may be malice behind the damage that was done to the Nord Stream pipeline. If that is going to be a development or practice in international disputes, we need to have a look to see what we can do to ensure we protect our cables and pipelines. That will mean significant investment in the Naval Service. We also need to recognise the jurisdiction in the sea for which Ireland is responsible is about 12 times our landmass. It is no easy task for the Naval Service to be able to do that. What type of equipment will assist the service in policing that large sea area?

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