asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the Venturer class minesweeper in service with the Royal Navy; if he will have his Department examine this type of vessel which is based on a trawler design with a view to having similar vessels built here in order to maintain the vital skill of minesweeping in the Naval Service and to maintain employment in the smaller shipyards.

There are no proposals at present to replace the minesweepers. The types of vessels used by other navies in operations similar to those undertaken by the Naval Service are constantly being assessed by my Department.