Vol. 491 No. 7
42 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Defence his views on the development of the coastguard service as recently outlined; the liaison which will be necessary with the Naval Service; and the structures, if any, needed to implement this. [9048/98]
As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, recently announced his intention to develop and identify the Irish Marine Emergency Service, IMES, as a national coastguard service and that he intends to bring forward specific proposals in this regard later in the year. The proposed new coastguard service will give greater public recognition to all personnel involved in marine emergency response.
As regards liaison with the Naval Service, that service currently responds to calls for assistance from IMES in marine emergency situations. The Naval Service is also represented on the Marine Emergency Advisory Group which comprises senior officers of the maritime and land based emergency services and also on the Irish Marine Search and Rescue Committee. The latter is a standing consultative committee representing the providers and users of the search and rescue services. I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department will give full consideration to any request received for Naval Service assistance in connection with the operation of the proposed new service.
