David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes that: — the Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service serves a vital role in saving lives at sea and supporting emergency responses across the State;

— SAR air crews are required to work 24-hour shifts, yet these shifts are being recorded as only 16.5 hours of duty time under Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) approvals; and

— this under-recording arises from "factoring" schemes, normally applied only to standby or reserve crews, which reduce a full 24-hour continuous duty period to 16 hours and 30 minutes on paper; recognises: — the dedication and professionalism of Coast Guard SAR crews, who protect coastal communities across Ireland;

— that SAR crews are required to be fully deployable within minutes throughout the entire 24-hour period, meaning the time cannot reasonably be classified as rest time; and

— the necessity of ensuring strict compliance with all working-time, safety, and fatigue-management regulations; expresses its full support for Coast Guard SAR crews and affirms their right to safe, fair and legally compliant working conditions; and

calls on the Minister for Transport and the Irish Aviation Authority to: — urgently review the system of recording SAR crew working hours;

— ensure full compliance with S.I. No. 507/2006, Council Directive 2000/79/EC, and all relevant European Union (EU) and national safety legislation;

— end the use of factoring schemes, that prevent accurate recording of the full 24-hour working period undertaken by SAR crews; and

— ensure that working time, not merely duty time, is properly recorded and regulated in accordance with EU law.

What is at stake here is very simple: the safety of the men and women who fly Coast Guard search and rescue, SAR, helicopters, and the safety of the public they serve. These crews carry out some of the most dangerous work in the State. They fly in atrocious weather at low altitude, often at night, often lifting people from cliffs or rough seas. They are literally the last line of rescue for families in Waterford, across the south east and right around our coastline. We owe them more than applause. We owe them safety, fairness and lawfulness in how they are treated.

The motion notes the serious concerns raised by search and rescue crews and their unions about the way 24-hour duties are being counted. It is a fact that under the current system, a 24-hour shift is not being recorded as 24 hours; it is being recorded as 16.5 hours. That may sound like a technical or administrative detail but it has very real consequences. By counting 24 hours as 16.5 hours, the operator is able to roster many more 24-hour shifts across the year. The result is that crews end up working longer overall, with more long shifts and more cumulative fatigue. The union view is crystal clear. This is a breach of the EU working time directive and the Irish legislation that transposed it. I agree with the union. If crews are required to work on base at their employer's disposal, ready to launch within minutes, that is work, that is duty and that is not rest. Let us be clear about the reality of the 24-hour search and rescue duty. These crews are not on standby in the ordinary sense of that term. They are in a state of immediate readiness. They cannot go home or switch off. They must be prepared to respond at any moment, often after a long day, and be sometimes into a second or even a third mission. That is why the recording of time matters.

Fatigue in aviation is not a theoretical risk. It is a known killer. We have learned this through tragedy. In 2017, we lost four crew members in the Rescue 116 crash. That tragedy led to hard-won safety recommendations that everybody in this House supported, including a strong focus on fatigue risk management. It is simply unacceptable that in the years since, we have a system that appears designed to squeeze more 24-hours shifts out of crews who are already raising legitimate safety and fatigue concerns. Over the past number of weeks, along with Deputy Conor McGuinness, I have met with SAR crew members from across the State. Those meetings have been detailed, honest and deeply concerning. The crews spoke with one voice. They are dedicated to the job, proud of service and worried about where this is leading. They described a steady erosion of working time protections, real fatigue and fear that if this continues, it is only a matter of time before another serious incident occurs. We cannot ignore that warning. In recent weeks, I also met with the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association, IALPA, which represents many of these crews. They are absolutely clear that the current system breaches the EU working time directive and domestic law. They are also clear that crews on these 24-hour duties are not merely on standby. They are in immediate readiness, on-site, at the employer's disposal and that time must be counted properly if fatigue is to be managed in any meaningful way.

The Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, has responded to media queries on this issue by pointing to aeronautical notice 58 and to fatigue risk management systems. I have two comments on that. Rules and notices are only as good as how they are interpreted and enforced. References to fatigue management systems in the context of hours is disingenuous. Fatigue management systems are about identifying fatigue risk and mitigating it; they are not a substitute for properly counting duty time. Fatigue is not solved by redefining hours but by respecting the hours, counting them honestly and rostering accordingly.

The motion calls for a number of immediate steps, the first of which is that the Minister for Transport directs an urgent review of how 24-hour SAR duties are being recorded. I do not accept, with the Minister's amendment to the motion, that he has no responsibility. The Minister has a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of crews is respected and implemented in this case. Second, we want the IAA, Bristow Ireland and the IALPA to appear before the relevant Oireachtas committee to answer questions publicly and transparently. Third, we want the crews' concerns are engaged with in good faith, not brushed aside. Deputy Conor McGuinness and I, and one of our local councillors, Jim Griffin, met with staff members. One of our councillors, Catherine Burke, raised a motion at Waterford City Council that was supported by all parties, which I think has gone to the Minister of State as well. This is an issue across many constituencies. Everybody understands the hard work and dedication of our search and rescue services. We in Sinn Féin are not going to stand by when they raise very serious risk and fatigue issues and then have them dismissed in the manner in which they have been dismissed in the Government's amendment.

See this speech in context