Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome for what is an incredibly important debate. Not only is it about recognising the lives lost and grieving families but it is also important so the Government can listen and implement all the recommendations. We must listen to the expertise in this House as well, as Members have clearly highlighted and articulated some really valid points. We must create a legacy from this so it does not happen again.

I want to remember the individuals who died in this tragic accident. The crew members were Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, Mr. Ciarán Smith and Mr. Paul Ormsby. These are not just names but they are part of families. One can think of all the love their families are missing because of this incredible tragedy. These people were dedicated to saving our lives and died in the course of a rescue. I live in north Louth and often see these helicopters flying over the Cooley mountains and Carlingford Lough. We can hear a constant hum of a helicopter over our house and we might think about who they are saving today. We never really think somebody would have to rescue them. It is important that we acknowledge the incredible grief that this loss has caused families. For two families in particular, the Smiths and Ormsbys, the grief is absolutely compounded because no bodies were recovered.

It is so infuriating to see the series of outrageous mistakes that occurred. I am no expert but I read the report. There was a series of human and system errors and they must not happen again. Blackrock island was not even on the map and it is huge. If a child was drawing a map of the area, it would put it in. It is absolutely shocking. The main conclusion of the investigation unit is that this was an "organisational accident", which is a really soft and nice term for something that was caused by major incompetence. It was a completely preventable tragedy, according to the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association, IALPA. It is really upsetting as the report indicates operator manuals were inconsistent with some areas and did not provide sufficient detail of processes or procedures for the discharge of some safety-critical functions. It is a really damning report. It may not draw conclusions on who was wrong or right but it is really damning. I am glad the Department of Transport fully accepts these findings and recommendations. None of this is any good unless there is action and we can accept what people are saying. Changes are needed and unless we ensure we can listen to practitioners and experts, we will passively fly into another tragedy.

The State and systems clearly let down people. We let down families and the system let down those same families. We must fix this and ensure the families of the people who go to work every day, putting their lives at risk, can feel their loved ones are safe doing their job. These people are protecting us and we must put in place systems to protect them.