I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to speak on this matter this evening and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond to my ongoing concern about an issue that is relevant to him and his constituency. The sinking of a fishing vessel is something with which people in my area are very familiar. Some families whose members were on the Carrigatine know at first hand the feelings of those who suffered losses in the Maggie B and Père Charles disasters. It is tough for entire communities when victims are not found. I hope there may be good news for the families of the crew of the Père Charles in the coming hours.
I mention this because the emergency services are usually involved in marine incidents, some of which have the potential to turn into tragedies. When something goes wrong a great onus is placed on volunteers in the RNLI and other organisations to respond and save lives. Phil Coulter wrote about their great work in his composition "Home from the Sea", which included the refrain "Carry us safely home from the sea." As with all emergency services, not enough thought is put into the service until disaster threatens. I wish, therefore, to put on record my disappointment at the lack of priority that has been afforded to the issue of a breakwater for the RNLI at Buncrana, County Donegal.
The existing group of RNLI volunteers have distinguished themselves over the years by their achievements and their dedication to the people of the north west. They have never turned their backs on call-outs for any reasons of their own. Their work, however, has been seriously impeded by silting at Buncrana Harbour. The crew has earned the right to bigger boats that are as safe, fast and modern as those of any other station of the RNLI fleet, but its ability to use the boats has been increasingly restricted. There have been incidents in which the RNLI volunteers themselves have been almost in need of rescue. This is unfair. Volunteers who give of themselves in the course of trying to assist others should not be constantly battling to access their own boats in a safe manner. Over the years, there has been a threat to withdraw the boats from the organisation, which would be a true scandal if it were allowed to happen.
The quest to have this problem addressed goes back many years. There have been many and varied attempts to dredge the area in order to free it for use by the RNLI, which is to all intents and purposes the only user of the facility. This did not work, as the sand returned as speedily as it was being removed. Frankly, it was a waste of money. In March 2004 Donegal County Council, which is responsible for Buncrana Harbour, received approval for the construction of a breakwater. This would be a real solution for the RNLI. However, the approval was accompanied by a huge valuation on the lease. This could not be justified in view of the limited use of the facility and the lack of any obvious new marine activity in the harbour. Years later, the Department of Finance agreed that if the council could confirm that the breakwater was for the exclusive use of the RNLI it would waive the rental charge, or if the RNLI was a part-user there would be a reduced rental charge relative to the percentage used.
It is very simple. The only group that needs the facility is the RNLI. The need was urgent in the past and remains urgent now. Moneys were in place both from the Department and from the local council to build the breakwater, but time has ticked by and it is only by great fortune that disaster has not been visited upon us due to the inability of the emergency services to attend to a distress call. Some people have tried to muddy the waters on this issue and, indeed, to throw mud. The fact remains that a lease for the sole use of the RNLI could easily have a clause inserted stating that if the usage of the breakwater should change the Department of Finance or the Department of Transport will have the right to increase the rental charge. This is not rocket science. It would be easy for people in the Departments to add clauses to protect the Departments.
At present our tourism organisations seem to place no value on marine leisure, although in time that may change. I hope in the future to see increasing use of our rivers, lakes and seas. When that happens, there will be a need to re-evaluate who pays what. However, in the meantime, there is a real problem which urgently requires a solution. I ask the Minister of State to tell me that this problem is now solved and that our emergency services can go back to what they do best, which is saving others, rather than worrying about how to do it.
