Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

He is a servant of this State. The Minister must go further than he did in the Dáil this morning in making an apology to the Chief of Staff. I am not for a moment justifying anything the Chief of Staff did. The meeting with the Russians was scheduled and the photograph on Twitter was a mistake.The issue of the Russian fleet being off the south-west coast of this country in the next number of weeks carrying out an exercise is something we must monitor. My colleague, Senator McDowell, spoke about the depletion of the Defence Forces over a long period of time in this country. We must send a Naval Service vessel to the south west with members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence observing what is going on there. Not only that, but they must be there to provide search and rescue for those on the trawlers who are taking their lives into their hands by sailing into a live firing exercise area. I have been involved in live firing events myself down through my career and I can tell the House that when one starts to fire live ammunition, there is no guarantee that there will not be an accident. The Naval Service must go there and I ask the Leader to bring that request to the Minister for Defence and to tell this House next week that it will do that.

I ask the Cathaoirleach to indulge me for a moment as I have to address the issue of Shannon and of aircraft flying in and out.