Vol. 422 No. 1
31 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for the Marine if, in view of the very successful recent rescue of Spanish fishermen off the south coast, he has any plans to expand Slánú in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I was particularly pleased that on 21 June 1992 my Department's S61N Sikorsky helicopter was in a position to respond to a request for assistance from the United Kingdom's Coast Guard. Following a fire on board a British registered fishing vessel in the Falmouth search and rescue region four injured crewmen were winched aboard the helicopter and brought to Cork Regional Hospital.
The initial distress call was picked up by Valentia Coast Radio Station and Falmouth MRCC were advised.
Since the marine rescue helicopter came into service on 15 July 1991 it has provided assistance on five occasions to the UK authorities. I am delighted to have available the resources to reciprocate the assistance we have so readily received in the past from the UK authorities.
This incident was successfully concluded through Slánú — the Irish marine emergency service — when the damaged vessel was towed to port. The vessel, drifting as it was in the approaches to the George's Channel and Irish Sea, Bristol Channel and the English Channel, was a hazard to navigation and a pollution threat.
As the Deputy will be aware, Slánú was first established in mid-1991. The priorities at this stage for the development of the service are the streamlining of the existing State search and rescue services and the setting up of headquarters and new communicationco-ordination centre in Dublin covering the east and south-east coast.
