Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will talk about the Coast Guard situation in Clare. It is not just an issue in Clare. The only reason we have a Coast Guard in Ireland is the volunteers. The management would not be able to carry out the Coast Guard functions, of which there are many, by itself. I thank all the volunteers in the Irish Coast Guard for all the work they do, for free, off their own bat. They put themselves at risk which affects their families, in order to protect all of us in this beautiful, large coastal island of ours. We have to recognise the work of the volunteers.

It is sad to hear that some people have left the service and will probably never return because of conditions with which they have been dealing. We have seen this before. It is usually between employers and employees that there are employment issues and workplace disagreements. This situation is worse in some ways because these people are not even getting paid. It is terrible that Doolin Coast Guard has been closed down. Despite what people say, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, did not close it down. It is quite the opposite. He has been trying to get these issues resolved and there is no shortage of supports, both financial and resources, coming from within the Department to try to resolve this issue.

Unfortunately, from listening to many people who work in the Coast Guard over the past number of weeks and years, there seem to be serious issues with Coast Guard management and volunteers, and how all that does and does not work. It is dysfunctional. It is not good enough to say Inis Oírr can sort out what is happening in Clare. That does not cut the mustard at all. We cannot be waiting for somebody from Inis Mór to come down with a lifeboat. It is a serious issue. Clare is one of the largest coastal areas in Ireland. We need this rectified as soon as possible.

There is no shortage of supports from the Department. We need Coast Guard management to step up to the mark. It has been using mediation, but it has not worked. I have experience of HR companies that are great for representing the management or employer, but do not always represent the volunteer. That seems to be the issue here. We need it resolved. It is not fair to treat volunteers in this way. There is obviously a huge issue when one has volunteers leaving, not just in Clare, but all over Ireland. There is a huge issue in the Coast Guard. It needs to be resolved before any more lives are lost.

I will mention Caitríona Lucas who lost her life five years ago. We are still waiting for that situation to be properly rectified. The report initially produced on what happened to her was completely inaccurate. The report authors did not interview the right people and had her one nautical mile out to sea which was not the case. Huge issues are ongoing with the Coast Guard and it is a disgrace it has to come to this, where Coast Guard stations are closed down. I know from speaking to the Minister that there is no shortage of supports from the Department to rectify the issue. We need to push it back on Coast Guard management, come up with a plan and stop wasting money on consultants covering HR and mediation. It is not working. We need to do better and the volunteers deserve that.