Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the protocols for emergency responses to incidents on Dublin’s beaches; if the Dublin Fire Brigade is notified of incidents; or if it is solely the Coast Guard that is informed. [47070/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Coast Guard, a division of the Department of Transport, is designated responsibility under the National Search and Rescue Plan for co-ordination of maritime search and rescue, in addition to other roles in support of the Principal Response Agencies. Delivery of such services involves regular and ongoing liaison with other emergency services including the National Ambulance service and Dublin Fire Brigade. The Irish Coast Guard receives alerts for marine emergencies via the recognised maritime distress alerting systems such as VHF radio telephony channel 16, such alerts are received or relayed to the Irish Coast Guard directly for coordination. Where alerts originate via the 112/999 call and answering service this is managed via the national Emergency Call and Answering Service (ECAS), calls are assigned to the emergency services as requested by the call. Where an emergency service on receipt of such alerts deems another emergency service is more appropriate to the required response the call can at that point be reassigned via ECAS.