Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2004
41 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the serious deficiency in the standard of the search and rescue service available in the north-west; and when he expects to have a fully comprehensive service restored to these regions. [13648/04]
View answer104 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which his Department is capable of meeting the requirements of the air and sea rescue service; if he has improvements in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13656/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 104 together.
The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of maritime search and rescue services within the Irish search and rescue region. The Air Corps provides the search and rescue service off the north-west coast while a private operator, CHCI, provides the service from Dublin, Shannon and Waterford. I announced late last year that I had decided to withdraw the Air Corps from the search and rescue service. The decision was made following a considered assessment of the ability of the Air Corps to return to and to maintain a full 24-hour service in the north-west. Deputies will recall that the service had been restricted following an unusually high incidence of sick leave among the winch crews. There is no plan to reconsider the decision to withdraw from the search and rescue service.
The Air Corps will continue to provide its current limited service while the coast guard makes alternative arrangements for the return of a full search and rescue service in the north-west. I have been informed by my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, that proposals are under assessment and that a final decision is expected shortly. Air Corps pilots will continue to train in search and rescue techniques. It is envisaged that they will support limited non-maritime search and rescue services.
I regret that the Minister does not seem to have any plans to return responsibility for search and rescue services to the Air Corps, particularly in the north-west. I am sure the Minister will agree that the Air Corps provided an excellent service when it operated in the north-west and other parts of the country. Its staff acted as we have come to expect of them. Does the Minister agree that the current circumstances in the north-west are unacceptable in that we do not have a 24 hour service? When an emergency arises in the north-west, as has happened on numerous occasions since last January when the service was taken over by a private company, the service is often unavailable.
I understand that the service that is available in the north-west is limited. The facility to respond to calls does not exist after 7.30 p.m. When a request was made for assistance last Sunday morning, a helicopter in Sligo was unable to respond to a call from Sligo where a young man lost his life. We had to depend on assistance from Baldonnel, but the helicopter was halfway to Sligo when the young man's body was found. Such a case illustrates the difficulties we have because the north-west is so exposed at present.
The Minister said in his reply that responsibility has been given to a private company. Such a transfer was envisaged on 2 January last. What is the position of the transfer to the private company? When will the company assume full responsibility? When will it be able to provide a full 24 hour service to that area? The seas off the north-west coast are probably more treacherous than any in Ireland, if not Europe. It is a serious problem, but nothing seems to be happening. We have half a service. The Minister should bear the responsibility because he withdrew the facility from the Air Corps in the first instance. He has a responsibility to restore some sort of service before there is further loss of life.
I will not evade any of my responsibilities as Minister for Defence. Deputy McGinley is well aware that responsibility for the provision of search and rescue services does not lie with the Minister for Defence, but with the Irish Coast Guard. Such services are provided by CHCI at Waterford, Dublin and Shannon. The Air Corps continues to provide a limited service pending the provision of a full 24 hour service by CHCI. The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has indicated to me that his Department's discussions with CHCI about the provision of a full service are in their final stages and that the matter is being treated with extreme urgency. The service being provided by the Air Corps in the interim undertook three missions in January, two in February, four in March and two in April. Some 14 people were rescued during that time.
I cannot be expected to take the blame for my decision to discontinue the Air Corps service, given that I was unable to guarantee continuity of the emergency life-saving service. On the basis of the information given to me by the Air Corps, I would not have been in a position to provide the service on a full-time basis — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — until March 2005 at the earliest. When I received indications from CHCI that it would be in a position to provide a full-time service at a much earlier date, I naturally had to face my responsibilities in that regard. I am anxious to help in any way I can.
The Air Corps is still involved in missions and will have a full winch crew for little less than half the monthly requirements. That is the very best I can do. I am anxious to see the Irish Coast Guard and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources complete the arrangement with the private company which will take over the provision of this service and which has provided an excellent service throughout the rest of the country.
I thank the Minister for his guarantee that he will do everything to maintain a comprehensive service in the north-west. I also associate myself with the comments of my colleagues on all sides of the House in conveying our deepest sympathy to the father, brother, sister and family members of second lieutenant Raymond Heery, another brave Air Corps person who lost his life tragically.
