Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and I look forward to talking to him about the N71. It has been a hobby horse of mine since I was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2016. They are passing bays, and they are simple. I wish to God someone would just turn a blind eye and let me off for one week because I know people out there who will have six or seven passing bays put into west Cork. It is simple stuff. Let the tractor and lorry do their business and let the ordinary person going about their business travel on their way. We do not need 100, and we do not need millions to do it, but it needs to be done.

There is just one other area under the Minister, which is maritime safety and transport. This is an issue he might also come back to me on. We have the Coast Guard, which is top class, in fairness. We heard last week that anywhere there is a Coast Guard everybody feels much more relaxed and safer. However, there are the inshore search-and-rescue community rescue boats, and they are not governed under the Coast Guard. They are not getting the same kind of funding. They get approximately €5,000 per year. They are volunteers trying to do their best. There is talk the funding might go up to €9,000. It is costing them up to €20,000, between insurance and everything else. They tell me they are basically out there with begging buckets trying to get something across the line. They are people who needed to be conserving their energies, sadly, for when they are needed during a crisis. I would appreciate if the Minister would look at that area to see if there is a possibility. They are called inshore search-and-rescue community rescue boats. The Coast Guard does its job, but this rescue body is also out there, and I would appreciate him looking at it.