Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter.

Mountain rescue is a 24/7 voluntary emergency support service provided by 12 mountain rescue teams located in various regions throughout the county. These teams come together as a co-operative association under an organisation called Mountain Rescue Ireland, MRI, which was founded in 1965. At the local level, each team also develops its own administrative aid operational practices as well as its own training schedule to ensure its members are appropriately skilled and equipped when needed.

The Galway Mountain Rescue team has been in existence for almost 40 years and I want to acknowledge the very important service provided by volunteer organisations such the Galway team and the eleven other mountain rescue teams around the country who operate in all weathers and conditions. The role of the mountain rescue teams has diversified greatly in recent years and are now called out to assist in a wide range of incidents and circumstances including air crash response in remote environments and animal rescue.

From a tourism perspective, we welcome the growth in a range of leisure activities, particularly those such as hillwalking which attracts the interest of increasing numbers of both Irish people and visitors of all ages. The work undertaken by mountain rescue, cave rescue and water-based organisations, makes a tangible contribution to ensuring that these visitors are safe and in supporting our bluelight services, particularly the Garda, which engages directly with mountain rescue services where there is an emergency event requiring their particular skills and local knowledge.

As a voluntary organisation and a registered charity, the MRI has developed a number of links and relationships with various Departments and agencies such as the Civil Defence, Irish Red Cross and the Order of Malta and is funded by a combination of public donations and Government grants.

As a voluntary organisation and a registered charity, MRI has developed several links and relationships with various Departments and agencies such as the Civil Defence, Irish Red Cross and the Order of Malta and is funded by a combination of public donations and Government grants. The Department of Justice and Equality holds primary responsibility for tasking the mountain rescue teams given that it is the Garda who call out these units in the event of an emergency.

My Department's sole function in respect of MRI and its constituent teams relates to an annual grant scheme overseen by the Irish Coast Guard service. This role was assigned to the Coast Guard some years back in the interests of certain administrative efficiencies. Our Coast Guard service has over 900 volunteers working in 46 units in various coastal locations around the country and I want to avail of this opportunity to pay tribute to the effort and sacrifice of all volunteers across the various organisations in this country. Without these men and women our State organisations and agencies would not be able to respond to the various emergencies and demands placed upon them daily. It is important that we recognise and acknowledge the contribution these individuals make on an unpaid basis in terms of their time and skill.

The Coast Guard chairs two meetings per year with MRI and the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation which are also attended by An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Air Corps where operational and administrative issues are raised and discussed and information is shared. In 2013, mountain rescue teams and MRI received nearly €170,000 in grant payments from my Department. The grants provide assistance primarily for current expenditure. The 2013 grant to the Galway Mountain Rescue team amounted to €7,407. Despite the growing pressure on public finances, I am pleased to say that it has been possible to retain the grant at this level over the past few years and it is the intention to do so for 2014 also. MRI, as an all-island organisation, avails of further support in Northern Ireland.

Turning to the Senator's inquiry in relation to the Galway mountain rescue team, as I have set out, the role of my Department is confined to administering the grant aid scheme with limitations on its resources and, while I am not in a position to undertake the liaison role as suggested, the Coast Guard service will in its current role as chair of the National Committee for Mountain and Cave Rescue continue to advance the principles of an ever-improving emergency response framework and operational and administrative quality enhancements in our volunteer organisations.