John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Minister will engage with Defence Forces personnel regarding a base for the Naval Service Reserve in Galway. There is little coastal coverage for the Naval Service between Limerick and Donegal, which is quite a wide area. Some of the subsea cables to which the Minister referred come into the country through Galway, including some of the transatlantic ones. Indeed, some cables come in north of Galway as well. One cable comes inland in County Mayo.

Of course, Galway already has Defence Forces personnel within the city. We have Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa Barracks in Renmore, which the Minister has visited twice since his appointment. In the context of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, this recommendation for a base for the Naval Service Reserve is a prudent one. It would fit well into the development of the national maritime security strategy and a national security plan.

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