Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am afraid the Minister did not answer the question, which is about how we will deal with the situation that Ireland has a significantly worse rate of drownings than many of our western European counterparts including, significantly, a drowning rate that is double that of the North of Ireland, which is on this island. It is significantly higher than the UK.

I will give the Minister a few clues. They have lifeguards in the North of Ireland from April to October, but we have them for June, July and August. This is a simple thing. It would cost money to local authorities, but they should spend it to save lives, by having lifeguards available with the equipment. Here, our lifeguards are given a whistle. Everywhere else, they are given all-terrain vehicles, defibrillators and radios and they are employed on proper terms and conditions.

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