Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Defence his role and that of the Naval Service on the Inter-Departmental Maritime Surveillance Working Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46293/10]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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An Inter-Departmental Maritime Surveillance Co-ordination Group (MarSur CG), chaired by the Department of Transport, was established in 2009 under the auspices of the Maritime Co-ordination Group of Assistant Secretaries.

The MarSur Co-ordination Group is working towards the creation of a common information-sharing environment to enhance safety and security within the Irish maritime domain. The Department of Defence and the Naval Service are represented on this Group along with other Government Departments and Agencies responsible for safety and security in the maritime environment.

The Naval Service as the primary seagoing agency of the State, and in its role as support to the Revenue Commissioners and the Garda Síochána, require the most complete knowledge that is possible of activity in Ireland's maritime environment. The development of a national Recognised Maritime Picture, (RMP) will service the needs of all the stakeholders of the Irish maritime domain.

There is also a European driven desire to improve maritime surveillance and security and to avoid the duplication of resources. The Department and Defence and the Naval Service are actively involved in the European Defence Agency's MarSur project. The EDA recognises the need to develop a RMP for ESDP maritime missions and tasks.

The MarSur Co-ordination Group has to date identified the core common elements of maritime information to be shared between the different user communities and has created a working group to develop the technical and data-sharing framework which will provide for the appropriate data exchanges between the various national agencies.

Internationally, the establishment in 2007 of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) has led to a greater focus on intelligence exchange amongst countries to tackle large drug shipments by sea. The Centre was set up by seven European countries and is designed as an international co-ordination force with access to national tasking agencies and requires participation and resources from all active members. An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service have full-time officers based at the Centre in Lisbon. Irish Naval Service personnel travel to the Centre when requested by the Joint Task Force.