Letter: Is UK footing the bill to protect undersea cables in Irish waters?
A letter from Lord Rogan of Lower Iveagh:
The network of undersea cables which are critical to the UK’s energy and telecommunication needs are at grave risk of sabotage from terrorists and hostile states.
Russia is regarded as a particular threat, with Russian ships being regularly observed close to cable routes off the Irish coast.
The Putin regime also has “form”, with two major cables being cut recently, causing significant problems for Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and Finland.
Earlier this year, I tabled a Parliamentary Question asking how much the Ministry of Defence had spent in the past five years on surveillance operations to protect undersea cables serving the British Isles, and what proportion the Irish government had contributed towards the cost.
The reply I received from the Conservative minister referenced the role of UK Armed Forces in monitoring activity to counter and deter detected threats but included no figures.
Last week, on the floor of the House of Lords and with a new Labour government in place, I endeavoured to find out if science minister Lord Vallance could do any better.
I said: “According to experts, around 75% of transatlantic undersea cables in the northern hemisphere pass through or near Irish sea waters. However, as a country that spends around 0.2% of its GDP on security and defence, the Republic of Ireland does not possess anywhere near the capability to protect them.”
I asked: “Has this job fallen to the United Kingdom government and, if so, who is paying the bill?”
Responding, Lord Vallance bizarrely suggested that commercial companies that supply the undersea cables pay into a fund that allows a single ship to be on standby to provide protection.
Respectfully, given the vast expanse of sea, this does not sound remotely credible.
I accept that the strength of the Armed Forces in the Republic of Ireland bears no comparison with those of the UK. However, I would hope that the costs of protecting undersea cables in Irish waters are not being unduly born by British taxpayers.
I shall be tabling further questions and look forward to more illuminating responses than the reply I received from Lord Vallance.
Lord Rogan of Lower Iveagh, House of Lords, SW1