asked the Minister for Defence if he is aware of the valuable services rendered by the Coast Life Saving Service and the low rate of pay they are in receipt of; and if he will consider amalgamating this body with the Coast Watching Service and putting them on the same basis of pay as the latter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Coast Life Saving Service.
The answer to the first part of the Deputy's question is in the affirmative. As regards the rate of remuneration for personnel of the Coast Life Saving Service, it should be remembered that these men perform this service voluntarily while pursuing their ordinary avocations and the allowance paid to them by the Department of Industry and Commerce is in respect of attendance at drill.
The question of amalgamating the Coast Life Saving Service with the Coast Watching Service was discussed with the Department of Industry and Commerce, when the latter service was being established, but the difficulties inherent in the transformation of a purely voluntary organisation into a service, organised on a military basis, rendered it impracticable. Many of the men belonging to the former service, who were suitably qualified were, however, recruited into the Coast Watching Service, the personnel of which are Volunteers, serving and paid as wholetime members of the Defence Forces.
The Coast Watching Service is now fully established. Furthermore, the location of many of the life saving stations would not meet its requirements. Accordingly, it is considered that the expense involved in any scheme of amalgamation would not be justified.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, is it not a fact that the remuneration, if I may so call it, of these voluntary helpers amounts to 5s. a quarter; that they are particularly qualified to do the work that is required in the other service and that their training enables them to do that? Do I understand from the Minister that, when the other service was being set up, all those who had these qualifications were taken over, or only some of them, and would it not be in the public interest to get people, properly paid, who have the experience?
I take it that the best qualified people in that service were selected.
All of them?
Not all of them; I said some of them. The matter was investigated at that particular period in conjunction with the Department of Industry and Commerce. The Department of Industry and Commerce felt that to take an undue number of these men would be to cripple the life-saving service, and that was not deemed desirable and we did not do it.
Surely it would enable both the Ministers to do the work of these services more effectively if these people were taken over? Am I to understand that it was mainly a technical objection between two Departments? I rather gathered that from what the Minister said.
No. It was not a matter of disagreement on technical questions. It was not deemed desirable.
Then there are a number of qualified people who were not taken over, and why were they not taken over?
Only because it was not deemed desirable.