Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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126. To ask the Minister for Defence if he remains satisfied that the Defence Forces are adequately equipped to detect incursions into Irish air space by potentially hostile intruders, manned or unmanned; if counter offensive measures need to be updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11647/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question concerns the need for the Air Corps to be in a position to monitor and, if necessary, intercept aircraft intruding into Irish air space, as well as being in a position to identify the purpose of the mission.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I answered a similar question earlier. Under the current strategy which dates back to the 2000 White Paper on Defence, the role of the Air Corps is limited to surveillance and some limited defence capacity.

If there is a fast-moving military plane coming into Irish airspace, our Air Corps is not going to have significant defence capacity to deal with that. When the White Paper was put in place back in 2000, the assessed risk of that happening was deemed to be very low and therefore we could not justify the expenditure on putting together significant air defence capacity. We now have to reassess that in the context of the new White Paper.

First and foremost, we need to improve our capacity to monitor what is happening in our airspace and in international airspace for which the Irish Aviation Authority has responsibility. That is why I mentioned that we are looking in some detail at the cost and equipment that would be required to improve long range radar capacity along the west coast in particular. That is the first step. We will have an opportunity in the context of the broader White Paper to discuss what we should or should not be doing in terms of the Air Corps and its future role. It is important to be realistic. The cost of putting together a fleet of fighter jets is probably similar to all the defence spending in Ireland put together. We are unlikely to be pursuing that course of action, although we have to have an open mind. Instead, we need to look at improved surveillance so that we understand and have a detailed knowledge of what is happening in our airspace.

We do have some capacity at the moment. It should not be suggested that we have no capacity. We have radar capacity along the west coast that covers the vast majority of our air space, as it happens. If the Deputy is talking about further out to sea, 30 km to 50 km into the Atlantic and into international air space, he is talking about long-range equipment, which has a cost implication.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. A somewhat unstable situation exists globally at present, in that quite a number of trouble spots exist across the globe. Would the Minister agree that, as a result, neutral countries in particular may be vulnerable? To what extent is that going to be taken into account in determining the degree to which defence methods and mechanisms can be upgraded in line with international standards, given the urgency?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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First, I would not like to give the impression that Irish defence capacity is not in line with international standards in the areas where we operate, because it is. Training and fitness levels in the Irish Defence Forces benchmark really well with international standards. Looking at the capacity for Ireland in peacekeeping operations, for example, we are as good as if not better than any other country in terms of our experience and what we bring to many of those missions, whether in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, Mali, Sierra Leone, or wherever we are. We are very good at what we do.

The issue is whether to change perspective from the 2000 White Paper on Defence, which limits our capacity in certain areas, to respond to what has happened since 2000 regarding international security concerns and issues. Cybersecurity is one obvious area that has been raised today. Migration is another area, and we have to ensure that we have a comprehensive security risk assessment, which will then be the basis for deciding how we respond in the White Paper.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Would the Minister agree that in the course of that risk assessment, it might be useful to include the use in some quarters of unmanned aircraft which continue to be employed in many locations throughout the globe? In the context of discussion with his EU colleagues, has any consideration been given to the vulnerability of neutral states within the European Union whereby there might be a security deficit compared to best practice internationally?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be glad to hear we already use drones, or unmanned aircraft. The Army uses them in terms of surveillance, target accuracy and so on.

The Naval Service is also testing drones and considering their use to push back the horizon and improve surveillance capacity. We have some technology companies that are developing and designing new drone technology. Ireland will be one of the world's leading countries in designing and developing the next drone technology which will actually attract more civil than military use. It is a space in which we are very active. Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland have been examining it also.

What was the Deputy's second question?

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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It was on the sensitivity of neutral nations.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A country that is neutral or militarily non-aligned has to have the capacity to stand on its own two feet. That is a subject on which we need an honest debate in Ireland.