Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has made a final decision with regard to the acquisition of an emergency towing vessel for the Irish Coast Guard in view of the key safety concerns which would be addressed by the availability of an ETV; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19949/05]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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No final decision has been made on the question of acquisition of an emergency towing vessel, ETV, capacity for Ireland. The matter is still under consideration in the Department which is examining options on how the service could be delivered in the context of both the very significant costs projections and complex operational requirements associated with the provision of ETV capability.

In 1998 the then Department of the Marine and Natural Resources commissioned a study to investigate the feasibility of deploying ETVs around the coast. Following an assessment of the study, which was published in 1999, it was decided that Ireland should have access to ETV capacity and that the Department would consult with the Departments of Finance, Defence and the Environment and Local Government on such matters as cost effectiveness, location, financing, operational aspects and possible other uses. It was also decided that Ireland and the UK would consult on the possible sharing of an ETV to cover the east coast.

The Department set up an internal working group to manage and progress this consultation process. The working group concluded that ETV capacity should be provided to service the west coast and, separately, to service the east coast. They also recognised that the provision of the service would be very costly. In both cases a public private partnership process was recommended.

In the east coast case it was further recommended that a joint Ireland-UK approach might be adopted. I am conscious of the importance of bringing this matter to a satisfactory solution in the overall context of maritime safety and coastal protection. However, in examining how the ETV proposals outlined can be pursued the Department must have regard to the very significant costs involved as well as the cost benefits associated with such a facility.