Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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369. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her proposals for the support of mountain rescue teams in 2017 and in the future, in view of the tremendous voluntary work they do and the vital role they play in the development of rural recreation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6074/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI) operates on a voluntary basis, but has received State support for a number of years to help cover the organisation’s operating costs. I understand that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport currently provides an average grant of approximately €7,500 per annum for each MRI rescue team. This grant helps with the provision of health and safety equipment, etc. In addition, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has also made funding available to MRI on a once-off basis towards the cost of replacing a number of vehicles.

The Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO), managed by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, until recently provided funding to help defray the cost of insurances which are necessary to allow the MRI teams to continue with their search and rescue activities.

As MRI is no longer a recipient of funding under the SSNO, I allocated funding of €66,245 to the organisation in 2016 towards the cost of insurance for 2017.

I recognise the very important work which MRI carry out and the support service they provide in rural and remote recreational areas. Funding to support the work of MRI will therefore be reviewed on an ongoing basis.