Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to procure a ship to replace the [i]Asgard II[/i]. [38659/11]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to re-establish a national sail training scheme. [38658/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 69 together.

The Minister for Defence has no plans to re-establish a national sail training scheme or to procure a ship to replace Asgard II. In the context of settling the Estimates for the Department of Defence for 2010, the previous Government decided that the national sail training scheme operated by Coiste an Asgard would be discontinued, as recommended in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure.