Naval Service
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

The Deputy is right: the Naval Service Reserve is organised across five different units. There are units in Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford. The fifth unit is a technical support base, so it is not based in any specific location rather than the Naval Service HQ. If there were to be an expansion, we would be looking at other areas that currently are not covered. Again, the Deputy is right; the maritime security strategy was clear in outlining that we need to look to see if there is a need for another base from a maritime perspective. That work is already under way. I published the maritime security strategy only a few months ago. I am really ambitious that we move on as many of the actions as possible. One of those clear recommendations is that we would scope out the need or requirement for another potential naval base. As we have locations in Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford, it stands to reason that we would look beyond those areas to see what we can do. While a decision has not been taken yet, I believe there is merit in the proposal the Deputy is suggesting. Obviously, we need to go through the various different processes to get to that point.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09