Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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804. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding opportunities within his Department for voluntary emergency transport groups such as community mountain rescue services; if his attention has been drawn to supports available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3832/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI), which holds charitable status, is the all - island umbrella organisation governing mountain rescue in Ireland.  There are 12 mountain rescue teams (MRT) within the ambit of MRI and a further team is maintained by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.  MRI is funded by a combination of public fundraising, Government grants, donations, etc.  As MRI is an all island organisation, it also avails of assistance in Northern Ireland.  

Each MRT manages its own administrative and operational practices as well as its own training schedule to ensure that its members are appropriately skilled and equipped when needed.  Responsibility for tasking the MRT's is vested in the Garda Síochána under the Framework for Major Emergency Management. My Department's role in relation to mountain rescue is the administration of an annual grant scheme which provides funding both to MRI and to the individual MRTs. The monies provide assistance primarily for current expenditure and in 2013 amounted to some €170,000. Despite the economic climate it has been possible to maintain the grant at this level in recent years and it is intended to do so for the current year also.  

In response to Parliamentary Question 7 of the 19th December, I stated that I  was open to considering the introduction of a modest capital grant scheme and that my officials would engage with Mountain Rescue Ireland on the issues involved. As the Deputy will appreciate, there are significant constraints on my Department's overall capital budget and there are other capital demands from my primary responsibility to provide a marine emergency response service.  It may also be the case that it could be some time later this year before it can be established whether there is any capital funding that could be utilised for mountain rescue services.  

The MRI is also the recipient of a grant aid package from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.  This assistance, which is directed at core costs such as insurance, amounted to almost €66,000 in 2013.