Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)

Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam an cheist seo a phlé. The question I pose tonight about helicopter services in the north west brings me back to an Adjournment Debate in this House in February 1988. I was present that night. The untimely death in February 1988 of John Oglesby from Kincaslough, County Donegal, who died aboard his fishing vessel the Neptune off the Mayo coast, led to a campaign to provide emergency services around the coast. I was Minister of State at the time. The Government of the day; the Taoiseach, Charlie Haughey; and the Minister for the Marine, Brendan Daly, established an independent expert group under the chairmanship of the former Garda Commissioner, Eamonn Doherty, and came up with a number of recommendations. As a result of that, we have these services around the coast.

In the present day, there are genuine concerns about the new aircraft and their suitability for island-related helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS. Some people are trying to suggest that these services are secondary to search and rescue requirements, but that is not a fact. Search and rescue services and emergency medical services are equally important. Our island communities are extremely worried that the helicopter services that will be provided going forward may not be as good as those provided over the last number of years because there is to be a change in the type of helicopter providing the services.

I will pose a number of questions to the Minister of State with responsibility. Will Rescue 118 maintain its 24-hour coverage once the contract has been transferred to the new company or will it be reduced to a 12-hour service as it is in Shannon at the moment? Why has the transition process been so unclear, leaving crews and communities in the dark about their own future? That deserves clarity. What contingency plans are in place to ensure uninterrupted search and rescue coverage, particularly for islands and rural communities? Can the Government guarantee that the new company will meet the contract's original commitment of an all-weather 24-hour service 365 days per year?

There are concerns that stretchers may not fit into helicopters as they have in the past. When someone has a heart attack or acquires a spinal injury, a stretcher is absolutely essential. The last helicopters could carry 20 survivors and two stretchers. There has to be clarity on this. I hope that, after the Minister of State's response, we will be in a better position to clarify for our fishing sector and our island communities the importance of this service.

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