Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. The overarching principle is safety for people at sea and that people can call for help. Two thirds of all calls are being dealt with in Valentia at the moment. My questions relate to staffing in future. In 2007, it was apparent that Valentia never had any problems with staffing but this has been undermined on many occasions since. The uncertainty gives rise to people being unable to give a commitment to reside in Valentia. I offer an example. A total of 17 positions should be filled in Valentia, 11 of which are filled at the moment. Five of these people do not live in Kerry and commute great distances, from as far away as Offaly and Galway.

If those people make a life down there - buy a house, for example, and start a family - and should their jobs subsequently be moved to Dublin, their investment, both family and economic, will be lost. That type of uncertainty is damaging and undermining, as I have pointed out to the Minister. There must be clarity as to the future direction and operation of the Coast Guard service.

There are difficulties in regard to the technical and staffing sides into the future and, in addition, there is the socioeconomic aspect. In the case of Valentia Island, for instance, its population has declined from a high of more than 3,000 in the past to only 600 today. We must bear in mind the situation of the people living there and those who might wish to make their home there in the future. It is important that the myth is dispelled that the age profile of people working on Valentia is more than 60 years of age - that simply is not true. Another issue to consider is the apparent failure to attract people there, with only 11 of the 17 positions filled thus far. What might be discouraging interested parties? In a situation where what is deemed the best economic model is put in place, which might see a centralisation of the service in Dublin or elsewhere, how much will it cost to shut down the services at Malin Head and Valentia? Are the delegates really of the view that the socioeconomic aspect of this, outside of the balance sheet issue, would stack up?