Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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133. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which sea-going vessels are readily available to the Naval Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51150/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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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 tasking 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. In relation to fisheries protection, the Naval Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the shoreline to the outer limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone.

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.

The Naval Service has a fleet of four Offshore Patrol Vessels: –

Despite ongoing recruitment and retention challenges, the Naval Service continues to conduct maritime surveillance and fisheries patrols in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and the Irish Naval Service Fisheries Monitoring Centre in Haulbowline continue to remotely monitor vessels in the Irish EEZ on a 24/7 basis. Aerial monitoring and surveillance of the Irish EEZ is carried out by the Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron using the two CASA CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. These aircraft are being replaced with two new C295 maritime patrol aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment, which following recent delivery are expected to be operational next month.