Written answers

Wednesday, 10 May 2023

Department of Defence

Maritime Jurisdiction

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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40. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the measures currently in place to monitor and protect subsea infrastructure, including communications infrastructure, under Irish-controlled waters; the proposals to improve the capacity in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21966/23]

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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41. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of instances in 2020, 2021, 2022, and to date in 2023 when it is suspected that foreign-owned vessels have engaged in monitoring or mapping of subsea infrastructure in Irish controlled waters; the specific dates of such events; the nationalities involved in each instance; the response of Irish authorities in each instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21967/23]

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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42. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the air patrols that have been deployed to monitor subsea infrastructure in Irish waters in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the specific dates of such patrols; the aircraft and resources deployed in each instance; whether there are plans to increase air patrols near subsea infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21968/23]

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the naval patrols that have been deployed to monitor subsea infrastructure in Irish waters in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the specific dates of such patrols; the vessels and resources deployed in each instance; whether there are plans to increase naval patrols near subsea infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21969/23]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 41, 42 and 43 together.

The Naval Service, as the State's principal sea-going agency, is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main daily tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with our obligations as a member of the EU, it also carries out a number of other non-fishery related tasks in tandem with maritime defence and security operations (MDSO). As such any Naval Service patrol should be viewed as a multi-faceted activity. This activity is augmented by the Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron in patrolling the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using the two CASA CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft which are equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment.

Following an extraordinary EU Energy Council meeting in October 2022 to discuss the EU’s energy security in response to the attacks on Nordstream 1 and 2, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications sought support from my Department in relation to additional measures that could be put in place by the Defence Forces to ensure that critical off-shore infrastructure including data cables are protected.

While the Defence Forces have limited sub-sea capabilities, enhanced maritime patrolling of the Irish Sea in the vicinity of priority offshore energy infrastructure commenced in 2022 and remains ongoing. This enhanced patrolling is being conducted by a mixture of air and naval platforms. Officials from my Department and the Defence Forces continue to engage with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in relation to the protection of Ireland’s offshore energy infrastructure and data cables.

It is not unusual for naval ships or vessels of other States to carry out training exercises within Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone or to passage through this area. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows for all vessels, including military vessels, to transit through the territorial waters of coastal states when conducting innocent passage (as defined by art. 19 of UNCLOS). Any vessels transiting Irish waters must do so in compliance with international law and may be subject to sighting and observation by the Naval Service and Air Corps without their innocent passage being infringed.

The Deputy will appreciate that for operational and national security reasons that it would not be appropriate to comment on specific details of Defence Forces maritime patrols.

The Naval Service retains certain capabilities that allow for underwater search and surveying including an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and a Magnetometer system. On the future development of subsea capabilities, the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces considers that the step up to Level of Ambition 2 (LOA2) should seek to deliver enhancement of subsurface capabilities to monitor subsea cables. The report states that to achieve this would mean the naval fleet should have enhanced air, surface and subsurface search capabilities, with the latter allowing the Naval Service to monitor activity in the vicinity of subsea cables. In order to achieve these desired capability effects associated with a move to LOA 2, specific recommendations made by the Commission were accepted in principle by the Government when it published its high-level action plan in July 2022.

One of the early actions identified in the high level action plan is the commencement of the Strategic Defence Review. This review will look at defence policy across all domains and inform future capability requirements and enable a broader debate on the State’s overall defence policy. Department officials are currently working with their Military counterparts with a view to progressing this action. The first stage of this review will be a security environment analysis to be conducted by an interdepartmental working group which has been established for the purposes of the review.

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