Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Defence the estimated cost of the recent ten week visit to South America by the Naval Service vessel the [i]LE Niamh[/i]; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38106/10]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Each year, the Naval Service commits approximately 85-90 of its annual patrol days to foreign deployments. Locations are considered on the basis of the optimum yield that can be derived for Ireland. An Irish naval vessel is considered sovereign Irish territory regardless of its location, and therefore a ship affords rare promotional opportunities for state agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, An Bord Bia and the IDA to support Irish industry and services. In the current economic climate, promoting Ireland to business communities abroad has assumed added importance.

This year, L.E. Niamh undertook a voyage to South America, visiting Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile at a cost of approximately €740,000, excluding pay and allowances.

The deployment of the LE Niamh was in support of the strong cultural and heritage links between Ireland and South America and to mark the celebration on the bicentenaries of independence by Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. The deployment was also aimed at promoting Ireland and Irish interests to the local business communities and strengthening links with the region. This visit to South America provided a unique opportunity to highlight the fact that Ireland is open for business.

During the course of the visit, in excess of 12,000 people visited the ship, including diplomats, politicians, business leaders and senior officials. The experience was also of enormous benefit to the Naval Service in terms of professional development and training.