Dáil debates

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

3:00 pm

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Defence if he has approached the Department of Finance to secure funding to re-establish an Irish sail training vessel. [6837/12]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As the Government has no plans to re-establish a national sail training scheme or to procure a ship to replace the Asgard II, I have made no approach for funding to the Department of Finance. In the context of settling the Estimates for the Department of Defence for 2010, the previous Government decided that the national sail training scheme, operated by Coiste an Asgard, would be discontinued, as recommended in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes.

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister agree that it would be a good idea to utilise the Jeanie Johnston, a vessel built at considerable expense to taxpayers, as an ideal replacement for the Asgard II for the purposes of sail training schemes? The vessel was built in my area and involved a cross-community initiative whereby young lads from both Protestant and Catholic communities in the Six Counties worked together. It is a beautiful ship with a fantastic historical record in terms of its travels across the Atlantic, during which no lives were lost. It should not be sitting idle in the Dublin docks.

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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My Department has been approached on numerous occasions with proposals to use the Jeanie Johnston for sail training purposes, but this was never considered a viable option for several reasons. The vessel has not sailed in all conditions, can reach a maximum speed of only 7 knots and is limited in its ability to sail upwind. The working area is not suitable for sail training as there are no side decks and too much open space. Trainees would have nothing to hold onto if they fell, potentially leading to injuries and subsequent legal action. Furthermore, as helmsmen cannot see the sails or where the ship is going, lookouts must stand on the boom to give directions, which is of no value in the context of sail training. In addition, operating and rigging maintenance costs would be high. Some 70% of ports visited by the Asgard II could not be visited by the Jeanie Johnston as it is too large to dock. It is understood little or no work has been carried out on the vessel since it was purchased by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in 2005. The rigging is likely to be in a poor condition at this stage and would cost up to €1 million to replace. Unfortunately, having regard to the difficulties outlined and the associated cost factors, the Jeanie Johnston is not deemed to be a feasible alternative to the Asgard II. As such, the Government has no plans to utilise it for the purposes proposed by the Deputy.

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I am disappointed at the brief the Minister has been given in regard to the Jeanie Johnston. The vessel has been tried and tested and only a minimal amount of tweaking would bring it into line with the criteria for sail training. It is a waste of money to have a vessel which cost €15 million to build sitting idle when it could be utilised as a national resource.

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I have outlined all of the difficulties of which I have been advised. The appropriateness or otherwise of utilising the ship in the way the Deputy proposes was addressed in the report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes. In current circumstances, when there are substantial financial difficulties and limited funds, we do not have the luxury of spending money on refitting or re-rigging the ship. In the context of the safety issues to which I referred and its incapacity to dock at a variety of locations, the vessel is not a viable alternative in the manner proposed. Having a particular interest in this matter, I took the opportunity, only a short time after my appointment, to examine the feasibility of what the Deputy is suggesting. Unfortunately, the incompatibilities and associated costs make it inappropriate in the current economic climate.