Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the review of the oversight of search and rescue agencies here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37873/18]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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41. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the review of search and rescue operations will be published in view of an air accident investigation unit interim statement on the Rescue 116 crash which found that rescue operations are affected by confusion regarding roles and responsibilities among agencies; the reason a mechanism to carry out safety oversight of search and rescue operations has not been established by his Department; his views on whether the responsibility for co-ordination of agencies should be handed to another agency such as the Irish Aviation Authority; and if so, when this will happen. [37794/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 41 together.

I will be publishing the Review of Oversight of Search and Rescue Aviation Operations in Ireland in the next day or so and it will be available on my Department’s website. The review was conducted as a direct response to the Air Accident Investigation Unit interim statement of March last which called on me to carry out a thorough review of SAR aviation operations in Ireland to ensure that there are appropriate processes, resources and personnel in place to provide effective, continuous, comprehensive and independent oversight of all aspects of these operations.  The report has been prepared by a team of external, international experts in this area. The review has also benefitted from a peer review by other jurisdictions including Australia, Finland, Iceland and Spain. I have considered the report and I accept in full the 12 recommendations contained in it.  

The review process was completed in August. As this review is part of the AAIU’s wider investigative process, I submitted the report to the AAIU, together with a series of actions to ensure full implementation of the report’s recommendations. While I am keen to publish the report as soon as possible, I have also been conscious that its publication could have unintended implications for other aspects of the AAIU’s on-going investigation and therefore I have been careful not to do anything to jeopardise their work in any way.  

This process is now almost complete, subject to a small number of clarifications sought from the Review Team.  

As a direct follow-up, I have instructed all parties involved – both within my Department and the IAA - that all necessary steps be taken without delay to ensure speedy implementation of all of the recommendations.   

I am more than happy to arrange for Deputy Troy and Deputy Munster, who I appreciate have been consistent in their demands for a full and comprehensive response to all matters arising from the tragedy that is R116, to be briefed by my Department on the full details of the Report and the plan to implement its recommendations once it is published.