Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation and for the work they do. From their description they are doing a lot with very little, given the size of the coastline, which is longer than the coastline of many European countries. We have a big ratio in terms of land to sea. There is a lot to be policed. We probably have a greater exposure.

How do we compare, for example in terms of the amount of resources and services, with other European countries? Are there typical countries with which we should compare ourselves or what is the ideal?

Could we have an indication of the fleet size and the number of cars, boats and trailers? Are there unmet needs? I am sure there is redundancy in some of the existing fleet as well. What is the full complement of operational staff? We have heard from the witnesses that there is a lot of training with volunteers, which is extremely important.

How is the cost recovered on joint missions outside the jurisdiction? How are the costs shared if there is a joint mission? If, for example, there is a big rescue in the Irish Sea and we have to call in our counterparts in the UK, is there compensation or does it balance out over time? Will there be any change in that regard in the context of Brexit? I presume there will not but it is useful to have a clear picture.

Whatever about running costs, the Coast Guard has upgraded a lot of out-of-date facilities since 1990. What is the position in terms of capital costs? We know, for example, what the expenditure is on sports capital grants. Is there a particular fund for that purpose? I hope it is all right that I have a good number of questions.