Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)

I will start by thanking our Coast Guard and rescue teams across this island. In my own constituency of Dublin Bay North, I know the huge amount of work they do, the really dangerous conditions they sometimes have to go out in and the number of times they have prevented disasters on our coasts and in our seas.

Being honest, I could not believe what I was reading in terms of this new roster system. We have crews working 24-hour shifts but those shifts are only being recorded as 16 and a half hours. That means the Irish Coast Guard crews may be looking at 104 24-hour shifts instead of their current 83 per year. That is an enormous increase and change in the working conditions for these staff. I cannot see how this is permitted under the working time Act. I agree with the Irish Airline Pilots Association, which says the IAA needs to step in here. There are huge safety implications in all this. These changes not only put our rescue workers in danger due to increased risks of tiredness and fatigue, but that has a knock-on impact on people who might find themselves in need of the emergency services. Nobody wants to think the crews being sent out, often in very dangerous weather conditions, are tired and fatigued.

Our rescue workers' job is to keep people safe. It is the Minister of State's job and the job of the IAA to keep our rescue teams safe. We need action here. We need a review of whether this roster complies with the working time rules. Honestly, I cannot see how it does. The actual numbers of hours worked needs to be the actual number of hours recorded.

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