Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the status of the multi-role vessel programme, and rationale for any change from multi-role vessels to multi-role combat vessels in the context of the reduced ability of multi-role combat vessels to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief domestically and internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60447/25]

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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We have been talking about the replacement of our Navy ships and upgrading our fleet for some years. Throughout it all our focus has been on multi-role vessels, MRVs, as they are the best equipped to do what our Navy does best in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Are we now pivoting to multi-role combat vessels, MRCVs, as has been reported, which marks a shift away towards a more aggressive naval policy?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The short answer is "No". I was enquiring about this recently. I have seen some media speculation in relation to this. I have been honest with the House. A major opportunity and challenge for the Defence Forces is going to be to secure a multi-role vessel programme and the upgrading of that. That is where the focus is and will remain. I am happy to provide that clarity. My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure the operational capability of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service is maintained and developed further in order to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by the Government. The capital funding of €1.7 billion allocated to defence in the latest national development plan up to 2030 represents an increase of €600 million on the previous baseline of €1.1 billion. The revised capital allocations will enable targeted progression on key elements of our commitments to get to level of ambition 2.

The Commission on the Defence Forces specifically recommended a programme of naval vessel replacement under level of ambition 2 to ensure a balanced fleet of modern ships, including a multi-role vessel, is reached in the next decade. This recommendation has been accepted in principle by the Government. Preliminary work with respect to the consideration of this recommendation with the support of marine advisers is currently under way and nearing conclusion and will inform the next steps in this regard.

The Naval Service currently has a fleet of eight commissioned vessels. These eight vessels consist of two P50 class large patrol vessels, four P60 class offshore patrol vessels and two P70 inshore patrol vessels. Capital investment in the Naval Service vessel renewal and replacement programme is ongoing. The programme of works for the midlife refit and upgrade of the two P50 class vessels has been completed. Two P70 class inshore patrol vessels purchased from the New Zealand Government were commissioned into State service as LÉ Aoibhinn and LÉ Gobnait in 2024.

The Deputy will be aware of the challenges faced by the Naval Service in recent years, and to this end I have instructed the Defence Forces to develop a regeneration plan for the Naval Service which I expect to receive in the coming weeks. This will allow for the plotting of a path forward for the future direction of the Naval Service. It is not my intention to advance the procurement of a multi-role combat vessel, but rather to address the recommendation in terms of the multi-role vessel programme.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I am comforted to hear that we are not going to invest as a State in multi-role combat vessels because my key concern is that we have a long-established priority to acquire multi-role vessels, which give us a flexible fleet that is capable of surveillance and humanitarian functions. They are vital for maritime disaster relief, our capacity for peacekeeping and our ability as an island nation with a volunteer Coast Guard to respond to the needs of people in case of emergency. In delicate peacekeeping and humanitarian situations, multi-role vessels are much less likely to be met with resistance than an armed warship and have much more flexibility in the assistance that we can provide. I do not deny that we need serious investment in our Defence Forces, but we need to be clear on what we are trying to achieve because multi-role combat vessels would not deliver our humanitarian and disaster relief aspirations. They would limit us to a much more aggressive role at a huge cost to the Exchequer. We are currently unable to staff the ships that we have. Combat vessels are bigger and more expensive, require more specialised staff and are more expensive to run. I have not heard any discussion on the opportunity cost of going down that path. I am glad to hear that it is not on the agenda. The Tánaiste listed off some technical names of vessels. Will he clarify that none of those are combat vessels?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am conscious when I read out the answers that a lot of these numbers and the likes are quite technical for people following this debate. I largely agree with what the Deputy has said. The replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi-role vessel is what is provided for in the equipment development programme. It is also what is provided for in the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. That is the plan. The equipment development plan is a living document. We continue to review it. We continue to update it based on the level of funding available, organisational priorities and timing issues. The Defence Forces are currently re-evaluating all their strategic equipment and infrastructural priorities to align with the revised capital allocation they have received. The Naval Service vessel renewal and replacement programme will be progressed in accordance with this. The Naval Service currently has a fleet of eight vessels. Four of the vessels are regularly deployed on maritime defence and security operations. These four vessels are the three P60 class vessels and the LÉ Aoibhinn, which is a P71. All four vessels conduct patrols on a rotation basis. I will set this out to the Deputy in a note, but the answer to her closing question is "No, they are not".

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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None of them are combat vessels; excellent. We need to have a candid conversation about sub-sea infrastructure and the shadow fleet because that is the other context in which this arises. We could have the finest combat vessels available patrolling every inch of Irish waters, but most of the sub-sea infrastructure we are talking about also runs outside of our territorial waters. In those situations, we would be completely unable to do anything to protect those cables, no matter what kind of ships we had. We know this because it has happened on the edges of the waters of NATO member states in the Baltics. While combat vessels may provide an opportunity to virtue signal to other EU countries about our willingness to take part in an arms race, the reality is that our capacity and fleet is best served by equipping them for humanitarian and disaster relief and surveillance. MRVs can monitor cables and foreign vessels and can also save lives on a scale that MRCVs cannot. It is comforting to hear that there are no plans to invest in combat vessels. I will be holding the Tánaiste to account on that.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Gibney very much. The point she raised around undersea cables - we may have a question on it later - is an important one because we need to have a better awareness of what is happening below our seas.

The MRV programme can do that as can the radar programme. The rollout of that radar programme is priority one, two and three. It is a programme that will start to be rolled out in 2026. It will be fully rolled out by 2028,to have a better awareness of what is happening below our waters because we would all have an awareness, a very quick and clear awareness, if something went wrong in that space as well, and not just here but right across other parts of Europe. We have an obligation to ourselves and to the global community, particularly in our exclusive economic zone, EEZ, and to co-operate and collaborate in that space. I am very conscious, cognisant and satisfied all of that can happen within the current capital upgrade programmes being planned by the Defence Forces and the current levels of operation at an EU level that are consistent and in line with our military neutrality.

David Maxwell (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question No. 3 in the name of Deputy Seán Crowe is being taken by Deputy Ó Laoghaire.