Councillor Orla Beattie:

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak here today. As a member of Limavady Borough Council I represent an area which includes Magilligan and Magilligan Strand. I want to reinforce what my colleagues have said. Magilligan Strand overlooks the Inishowen Peninsula. Each hour, on the hour, the body of water between them is crossed by the Foyle ferry taking people in both directions. Every time the ferry sets out, it communicates with the Malin Head Coast Guard personnel who confirm if it is safe to cross the busy shipping lane. The Coast Guard is a part of everyday life, but in recent times there has been a realisation that it cannot be taken for granted. There has been shock and disbelief on both sides of the Foyle that there could be circumstances of any kind whereby it would be gone from this idyllic but dangerous part of our coastline.

As someone who teaches in Donegal, lives in the North and has the honour to represent Magilligan, one of the most stunning parts of our coast, I plead with the joint committee to allow the officers who man this station to continue the work that they and their predecessors have done for over 100 years. I repeat what my colleague, Mr. Dallat, has said. Let us not be the generation that closes the one cross-Border body which year after year saves lives, many of them from the North.