Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the leader of the Fianna Fáil group on the mortgage issue. People should only pay what they can afford after they have paid for fuel, food and the care of their families. This Government and previous governments have failed to help the increasing number of people in mortgage difficulty.

I join Senator Paul Coghlan in welcoming the announcement on the Malin and Valentia Coast Guard stations. There had been a threat to both stations in the Fisher report which came before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on 24 October. The criticism in the draft Fisher report was startling. Senior management had allowed vital communications equipment to sit in boxes for three years, knowing that the existing equipment had a death certificate issued on it by Motorola. Motorola had advised the Irish Coast Guard service five years ago that the communications equipment that co-ordinates rescues at sea was liable to catastrophic failure at any moment.

Disturbingly, research prior to that committee meeting had found that the draft report, which the Minister never saw, contained serious criticism of senior management. That draft report stated that during the internal consultation meetings it was very clear that many experienced people within the organisation below senior management level felt that the Irish Coast Guard service could be run better. A common observation from external and internal stakeholders was the apparent lack of direction due in part to the director's time spent abroad. All of this was removed from the report presented to the Minister. What we see is manipulation of draft reports by senior management in the Irish Coast Guard service. A 19-page reply to the draft Fisher report went back.