I am aware that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI, receives an annual Exchequer grant of £100,000, which is paid from the Vote of my Department. When this year's contribution was made I personally wrote to the institution and paid tribute to the valuable and voluntary service provided by its dedicated personnel.
The Deputy will be aware that the RNLI is a charitable organisation with a strong tradition of independence and is chiefly supported by voluntary contributions from members of the public in Britain and Ireland. The annual Government grant is paid, on a no strings attached basis, in recognition of the RNLI's important role in the overall marine search and rescue network which is co-ordinated by the Irish Marine Emergency Service and which I propose to develop into a national coastguard service.