Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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168. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current arrangements in place for calling out mountain rescue; and the costs associated with same. [32280/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​Mountain Rescue Services are provided by twelve volunteer organisations. My Department has no responsibility for tasking mountain rescue teams. This function is carried out by An Garda Síochána who are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality.

My Department has been advised by the Department of Justice and Equality, that the callout procedure and coordination for these Teams is provided via the 999/112 emergency phone service. Once a call is received by an emergency phone operator, the call is diverted to the nearest Garda Divisional Headquarters.  From there, the local Garda station contacts the appropriate Mountain Rescue Service.

My Department chairs the National Co-ordinating Committee for Mountain Cave Rescue (NCCMCR) and administers a small grant to mountain rescue teams. The purpose of this grant is to assist in providing an operational and/or administrative quality improvement. It does not purport to cover all costs incurred by these voluntary teams. Grant funding can be used at the discretion of the teams providing it is in accordance with DPER Circular 13/2014 (Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds). As such my Department does not have information in relation to the specific cost of call-outs.​