Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending. For a number of years now there has been talk of providing a permanent base for the Coast Guard contingent based in west Connemara. As the Minister of State is probably aware, the Coast Guard operates with local crews that operate on a totally voluntary basis and with the helicopter service, which is on contract. The Coast Guard crew in west Connemara has no permanent base whatsoever. The coastline there is very long and indented and the Coast Guard receives frequent call-outs. The reality is that when it is mobilising and after it mobilises and returns from a mission, the crew has nowhere to meet to debrief, there are no toilets available to them, and nowhere to change their clothes or take a shower. They literally have nowhere to go. This is totally unsatisfactory.

There has been talk for the past number of years - I have correspondence dating back to 2017 and earlier - stating that the Coast Guard would be provided with a permanent location. The most obvious place in west Connemara is at the airstrip which was built at Cluain Leacht an Abba, just outside Cleggan in County Galway. It is so suitable because it is very accessible by road to all of the coastline from Killary all of the way down beyond Clifden and into Ballyconneely. The reality is that having the boat at that location is perfectly satisfactory because it is towed behind a trailer and can be launched wherever it is needed. It is not kept it at one pier and launched from there. The boat can be launched from any slip, once one can get it to the relevant location.

The location of a base was agreed. The Coast Guard wrote to what was then the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht a number of years ago and there was vague reference to building a permanent base for the local crew at that location. The other huge advantage is that every time the Coast Guard helicopter comes to Connemara, for training purposes of whatever, and needs to land, this is always and obviously done at the airstrip. It is safe and the Coast Guard crews know its location. It is what it says on the tin: an airstrip, and is very suitable for the Coast Guard.

When will the Minister show concern for these volunteers who give up time and effort to engage in sophisticated training? Following the accident that occurred in County Clare, such training is becoming even more rigorous, as is the training for helicopter crews. The crews do this training together. When will they receive access to the basic human facilities? It is not much to ask that such facilities be provided to people who give so much on a voluntary basis.

What I hope to hear is that the Minister is now moving forward with this project, which would very low-cost in nature. The site and everything is there, it is just a question of erecting the buildings.

I hope that the reason the Minister could not be here is that he has good news for me and is going to announce that I need not have tabled this issue for debate because the Department is going to do the decent thing and provide this long-promised base.

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