Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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933. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if concerns have been raised regarding coastguard volunteers having been dismissed from their positions after raising safety issues; and the action he has taken on foot of the raising of such concerns. [1272/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Coast Guard has not dismissed volunteers as a result of raising safety issues. In fact, the IRCG consider this reporting culture as central to the effective management of safety within the organisation. The raising of safety concerns by volunteers is one which the Coast Guard encourages and there are structured systems in place to facilitate this.

The continual improvement in the management of safety issues within the volunteer Coast Guard Units is one which the Coast Guard is dedicated to. The on-going development of the safety management system within the Irish Coast Guard is one whereby all volunteers are duty bound to report, without unreasonable delay, safety issues of which they become aware.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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934. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether coastguard volunteers should be granted access to the Workplace Relations Commission or some other independent third party as a means of resolving internal disputes. [1273/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The jurisdiction of the Workplace Relations Commission is constrained by legislation to employment rights and information.

IRCG Volunteers are volunteers and not employees of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The definition of Volunteer as noted in the IRCG Code is that from The Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 which defines a ‘Volunteer’ as a person who does voluntary work that is authorised by a Volunteer organisation and does so without expectation of payment (other than reasonable reimbursement for expenses) or other reward. ‘Volunteer organisation’ means any body (whether or not incorporated) that is not formed for profit and that authorises the doing of voluntary work whether or not as the principal purpose of the organisation.

There is an independent HR Consultancy firm currently contracted by the Department to assist in resolving Coast Guard volunteer grievances using appropriate processes such as mediation.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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935. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether coastguard volunteers should have access to a national representative body to advocate for and represent their interests. [1274/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The IRCG is very keen to ensure the views of volunteers are heard and taken into account as they are a vital part in the development and delivery of the Search and Rescue service.

As the Deputy will understand, there is no representative union structure which they can access at a national level since they are not employees per se. However, there is already an existing body in place called the Coastal Unit Advisory Group (CUAG) which is made up of six members elected by the Units independently of management. The purpose of this group is to represent the views of all the Units. The six members are selected on a geographical basis and serve for a period of three years. At all times there should be representation from a coastal search, a boat and a cliff unit. The CUAG meets regularly with the national Volunteers Manager and annually with the IRCG Director. Additional meetings can be called by CUAG or management as necessary.

In addition to this, there are a variety of other avenues through which volunteers raise concerns and advocate their views on issues. These include regular "Sector meetings" in which the IRCG's Coastal Unit Sector Manager for the particular area facilitates an open forum for the volunteers to raise issues. There are also Technical Advisory Committees (TAC’s) with volunteer representation to adviceIRCG management on various technical matters such as personal protective equipment.

In 2019, IRCG also plan to meet with the units on a national basis 3 times a year which, coupled with the sector meetings, will provide additional opportunities for interaction and communication with Coast Guard management.