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

The Deputy made a number of points. There is no lack of capital investment in our navy either in Haulbowline, which has undergone significant infrastructural investment and will have more, or for the purchase of ships and so on. In respect of enhanced patrolling of the Irish Sea and surveillance, monitoring subsea cables in our exclusive economic zone is very important. We have seen what happened to Nord Stream 1 and 2 in October 2022.

There is a mixture of air and naval platforms, including the Naval Service fisheries monitoring centre based in Haulbowline, which is quite effective. It continues to remotely monitor vessels in the Irish zone on a 24-7 basis. Aerial monitoring and surveillance of the Irish exclusive economic zone is carried out by the Air Corps maritime patrol squadron. Two new C295 maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communications equipment, were delivered to the Air Corps in 2023 to replace the existing CASA CN-235 aircraft. These new aircraft have commenced operations following a significant and intensive period of training and verification.

I would not underestimate the Air Corps current capacities and the additional capacities it gives us in surveillance of our seas but, without question, the doubling of the patrol duty allowance and the retention initiatives, including the retirement age going up to 60, will be key in turning the numbers around.

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