Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government acknowledges the challenges in the Naval Service in terms of recruitment and retention and the impact this has on planned fishery protection patrol days at present. The Minister's focus is on returning the Naval Service to its full capacity. The acquisition of modern new vessels, combined with an ongoing maintenance regime for all vessels within the fleet and the continuous process of refurbishment, refit and repair will ensure that the operational capabilities of the Naval Service, as the State's principal sea-going agency, are maintained to the greatest extent. Projects for the replacement of other vessels will be considered over the lifetime of the White Paper in the context of overall capability development and funding along with the overall equipment planning process.

In addition, it should be noted that the programme for Government contains a commitment to an independent commission to undertake a comprehensive review of the Defence Forces. The commission commenced its work in December 2020 and is due to report in December 2021. As part of its terms of reference, the commission is looking at the structure and size of the Defence Forces, encompassing military capability structuring and staffing.