Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of Naval Service deployments that were carried out in support of the joint task force on drug interdiction in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20863/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction (JTF) was established in 1993 as a Government measure to improve law enforcement in relation to illegal drug smuggling and consists of members of An Garda Síochána, the Customs Service and the Naval Service.

The Deputy will be aware that overall responsibility for the prevention of drug trafficking rests primarily with the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners, while responsibility for the prevention of crime rests primarily with An Garda Síochána. The White Paper on Defence (2015) reaffirms the security role carried out by the Defence Forces in support of this important work. For operational and security reasons, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to disclose details of operations of the JTF involving the Naval Service.