Vol. 571 No. 4
133 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns expressed by staff at the Marine Rescue Co-operation Centre in Dublin at the implications of the proposed closure of the coast guard unit in Dublin; the basis on which this is being done; his views on the concerns expressed by staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22056/03]
Consultants retained by my Department to conduct a study of the Irish Coast Guard made over 100 recommendations for the future development of the service having regard to international best practice and value for money. Reflecting modern communications technologies, one of the main recommendations was that the Coast Guard should operate two control centres as opposed to the three centres that exist at present. This approach will have the effect of achieving significant cost savings, thus enabling other elements of the Coast Guard service to be developed and this in turn leading to further improvements in our marine emergency response services nationally. My objective is that the remaining two centres at Valentia and Malin will be developed to handle all emergencies around our coast, on inland waters and in relation to mountain, cliff and cave rescue. Communications technology today is such that the geographical location of the co-ordination centres is less important now than in the past and, in this context, Government policies on decentralisation from Dublin are also relevant.
