Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Defence the extent to which his Department provides coastal air and sea rescue facilities; if adequate resources and personnel are available from or through his Department for those operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32235/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of maritime search-and-rescue services within the Irish search-and-rescue region. The Air Corps had been providing search-and-rescue, SAR, services in the north west but withdrew in October 2004 following a hand-over of that role to CHCI, a private operator, which also provides the service at the country's other SAR bases at Dublin, Shannon and Waterford.

The Defence Forces are already committed to providing support to the civil authorities specifically regarding search and rescue. In that regard, the Naval Service and the Air Corps will continue to provide support to the Coast Guard as the need arises and within their available capacity. Air Corps pilots will continue to train in search-and-rescue techniques and to provide a limited non-maritime search-and-rescue response. The specification for the new helicopters being acquired for the Air Corps includes a search-and-rescue capability.

Search-and-rescue capability requires a wide range of available skills, piloting, winching, medical, vessel crewing, radar, etc. I am advised by the military authorities that the availability of those skills in the Defence Forces is sufficient to meet their continuing commitments in the area.