Mr. Enda Conneely:

Especially during Brexit that showed itself up as being a big problem. It was in general an arbitrary rule. We need a new system. The old one is not working. What we are talking about is a minor thing, given that the RNLI can run its annual operations for €12 million. We are familiar with the level of service it gives, what it does and what it is capable of. We need something that does not give a county council an excuse to give the Department an excuse to give the Department of public expenditure and reform an excuse. Everyone has a drawer full of excuses. In our experience, dealing with most Departments is like swimming through treacle. I see why people will gladly accept an AI system telling them what to do if they keep going on like this. You need to get some kind of system in place. This committee, with the Minister, probably has a unique opportunity to co-ordinate all of this. We are not looking for an awful lot. As Mr. Breathnach said, a lot of it is administrative stuff that needs to be streamlined. The system at the moment is not fit for purpose. The evidence is in front of you if you go to any pier around the coast or on any island. There is only one that is functioning. The Inis Mór one seems to have developed okay. It is a system that runs. Unless you invest in these things now, the costs will go up with inflation, etc. You are better off to do it now and we will live on it for the next 100 years.