Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I said in an earlier reply, there are many responsibilities in respect of protecting critical infrastructure. There are responsibilities on the owners and operators and on the Defence Forces in terms of surveillance, etc., but the Naval Service has no unilateral powers of enforcement regarding damage, criminal or otherwise, to undersea cables or other communication links in Ireland's EEZ. The Naval Service retains certain capabilities that allow for underwater search and surveying, including an underwater remotely operated vehicle and a magnetometer system.

We must, however, improve this and, again, the Commission on the Defence Forces was clear on this point. On the future development of subsea capabilities, the report of that commission considered that the step up to the level of ambition, LOA, 2 should seek to deliver enhancement of subsurface capabilities to monitor subsea cables. It also states that to achieve this would mean that the naval fleet should have enhanced air, surface and subsurface search capabilities, with the latter allowing the Naval Service to monitor activity in the vicinity of subsea cables. The Government is committed to doing this and we published a high-level action plan in this regard. We will, therefore, continue to improve this capability.

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