Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This issue concerns the absolute uncertainty of the future of the Malin Head Coast Guard station. I appreciate the fact that the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, is here this evening, although he does not have direct responsibility for Coast Guard stations. I had hoped the Minister for Transport, Deputy Varadkar, would be here to respond on this issue, but I appreciate he may have other business.

This issue also affects communities in Valentia, Kerry, from where my colleague, Senator Mark Daly, comes. He is working on a campaign in that part of the country. It also affects communities in Donegal and the north west area. The Minister of State may recall that back in 2008 after a long campaign to keep the stations at Valentia and Malin Head open, the then Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, announced that the Government planned to keep Malin Head and Valentia open.

He also pledged to upgrade all three centres, including the centre in Dublin, to the tune of ¤2.5 million. The Dublin station has now been fully upgraded, as has the Malin Head station, following an investment of approximately ¤721,000. I understand that Valentia is also to be upgraded.

In 2011, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, for some reason, engaged the consultancy group Fisher Associates, to carry out yet another review, despite the fact that there were numerous previous reviews. I wish to know the cost of that review. The findings of the final report were released on 5 July and one of the recommendations was that the number of rescue stations should be reduced from three to two, with the Malin Head Coast Guard station closing. So far, the Minister has only responded by saying that the recommendations contained in the report are being considered by his Department and that his officials are due to report back to him some time in October. This is creating great uncertainty in Donegal and along the west coast. Historically, Malin Head is the oldest operating radio station in Europe and should be allowed to continue. Why close a station that has operated flawlessly for over 100 years?

It was decided in 2008, following a long and drawn out campaign, that the Malin Head and Valentia stations would be upgraded and kept open. Their future was secured. Work on the Malin Head station was completed in August. That work involved technical, operational and infrastructural developments within the station, which will ensure that it is fully up to standard now and into the future. It seems crazy that after carrying out that substantial work and after the previous Government deciding to secure the future of the Malin Head station, there would be any question surrounding its future. It is equally crazy that yet another consultant's report is being considered by officials within the Department.

The area where Malin Head and Valentia provide their services, with its large number of islands and inlets, has the longest coastline per station coverage in Europe. If the Government reduces the number of centres to two, taking into consideration the Dublin centre, it will result in each centre covering 3,700 km of coastline. That is simply not safe. A British House of Commons select committee recently highlighted the fact that closing coast guard stations along the British coastline led to an increase in the loss of life at sea. We are jeopardising peoples' lives in trying to save a few miserable euro by closing down a coast guard station, after spending ¤2.5 million on upgrading the three centres we currently have. A report is being considered but a decision was made in 2008 and the Government should not go back on that decision, particularly after an investment in the upgrading of the stations was made. I hope the Minister of State will have some good news.