Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am conscious that, as we speak, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is launching the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in McKee Barracks. I am very grateful to the Minister of State for coming here today. I welcome that report and the fact that the Government has taken on this issue and dealt with it in a concrete way, putting forward proposals that will ensure the future of all three branches of the Defence Forces. We can be proud of what is going to come from that report and the progress that will be made in respect of the Defence Forces, with the Government opting for level of ambition 2, which is realistic and achievable.

With that comes an expansion of the Defence Forces. It is projected that there will be up to 2,000 new members of the Defence Forces. That is particularly important in the context of the Naval Service, where we have had serious staffing issues resulting in ships that cannot be crewed sitting in Haulbowline or other bases rather than being at sea and doing the job we intended them to do. In the aftermath of Brexit and Russia's initiation of hostilities against Ukraine, we now know that we can no longer rely on the status quo. The Irish Sea represents not just an Irish border, but a European border. It is therefore tremendously important that we staff and equip the Naval Service in a way that allows it to patrol our coastal waters and make sure that we are protected to the greatest extent possible. I also recognise that the report includes plans to increase radar capacity, which is also tremendously important, but I want to particularly focus on the Naval Service and the patrolling of coastal waters. As I have said, the Irish Sea now represents a European border as well as an Irish border. It is an area that needs to be patrolled by the navy and in which we need to have strong capacity. I suggest that very strong consideration should be given to creating a new naval base of operations in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, may well be of the mistaken view that Cork is the capital of maritime Ireland-----