Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

236. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the activities Naval Service sea vessels undertook on 27 June 2021 at a nearshore location on the north shore of Galway Bay, east of An Spidéal, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35612/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The main day-to-day role of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. On any given patrol day the Naval Service can carry out a number of taskings on behalf of other State agencies such as the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, An Garda Síochána and the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners.

On the 27 June 2021 the L.É. Samuel Beckett was on Sailing Order carrying out Maritime Defence and Security Operations and was in the vicinity of An Spidéal, County Galway.

For operational and security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose further specific details of the operational deployment of any individual vessel in the Naval Service.