Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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220. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team and the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team becoming the first rescue teams to carry out 100 operations in one calendar year, if he will consider allocating funding and extra supports for their mountain rescue teams. [49721/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to congratulate Dublin and Wicklow and Glen of Imaal  Mountain Rescue Teams on reaching such an important milestone of 100 rescues in a single year and to acknowledge the important role that Mountain Rescue Teams  play in assisting people who get into difficulty on our hills and mountains.  

Responsibility for the coordination of mountain rescue rests with An Garda Siochana under the Framework for Major Emergency Management. Additional support is provided on request by the Coast Guard, Air Corps helicopters, and by Civil Defence. The Coast Guard, which is a Division of my Department has responsibility for the administration of grant payments to mountain rescue teams. In 2013 these teams were paid a grant of €14,815.00 each. Despite the pressure on public finances it has been possible to retain the grant at this level over the past few years.