asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether his attention has been drawn to the statement made by Mr. Duncan Sandys, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, in the British House of Commons on 5th April, that no message of appreciation of the rescue work carried out by British helicopters in Irish waters had been received from the Irish Government; whether Mr. Sandys' statement is in fact true; and, if so, why no such message of thanks had been sent.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rescue Work by British Helicopters.
14.
Some newspapers did not quite accurately report what Mr. Duncan Sandys said on the subject. The question put to him was whether he could give the terms of any message of appreciation received from this country. His reply was that on the spur of the moment he could not do so.
The incident to which reference was made in the British House of Commons recently was the rescue by a British Naval Helicopter of a number of seamen from the Dutch Vessel Steintje Mensinga which was wrecked off the Mayo coast on 4th December, 1961. As no Irish vessel or no Irish seamen were involved I did not consider it appropriate that I should send a message to the British Minister concerned but the Commanding Officer of the Naval Service, which co-ordinates rescue operations in our waters, sent a message of appreciation to his opposite number. I may add that when on an earlier occasion three Irish seamen were rescued by a British Naval Helicopter from an Irish vessel wrecked off the Wexford coast I was very happy to send a letter of thanks and appreciation to the First Lord of the Admiralty and to pay a tribute in this House to the courage and skill of the personnel concerned.
Does the Minister think or hope that this service will be continually provided?
That is a separate question.
It is a separate question, but I would say rescue operations are regarded as an international service all over the world. There is nothing of any special significance in the fact that the rescue planes or vessels of one country assist in rescue operations in the waters of another country.
We will not play our part at all?
Is it not a fact that the rescue that was carried out, even though Dutch personnel were concerned, was off the Irish coast and that, as a result, assistance was rendered to this country by another country to carry out functions that Irish rescue teams should be able to carry out, had they the correct equipment with which to do it? In such circumstances, does the Minister not think a message of thanks should have been sent?
I have already said that a message was sent by the commanding officer. In regard to the protocol of this matter, it was for the Ambassador of the Netherlands to convey the thanks of his country to the British authorities. It was an ordinary matter of protocol and nothing was done not of the usual kind in these circumstances.