Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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167. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he will publish the independent review of the organisational structures of the Maritime Casualty Investigation Board (details supplied). [7148/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The report referred to, the ‘Lacey Report’, was not a report about the organisational structures of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, but rather a report on the possible establishment of a multi-modal investigation body combining the rail, air and marine accident investigation bodies under a single entity. In 2009 the Government announced agency rationalisation measures involving a reduction of 41 bodies and the streamlining of certain other functions. This decision included the amalgamation of the Air Accident Investigation Unit (Department of Transport), the Railway Accident Investigation Unit (then in the Railway Safety Commission) and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (an independent board established under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000).

As part of this process, Ms. Roisin Lacey prepared a report in 2010 to the Minister on the establishment of aNational Multi Modal Accident Investigation Office. The terms of reference of the brief were to examine current air, marine and rail accident investigation legislation, to provide a report for the Minister for Transport on legislative proposals in relation to the amalgamation of the aforementioned three units into a single Office, to ensure that such legislative proposals were future proofed and to submit draft Heads of Legislation for consideration. Following the 2011 General Election and the subsequent change in Government, the amalgamation of the accident investigation bodies did not proceed.

More recently, a review of the current organisational structures underpinning marine accident investigation in Ireland in the context of national, EU and international obligations commissioned by the Department of Transport in 2021. The review was undertaken by Clinchmaritime Ltd. and Captain Steve Clinch, the former Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents for the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch. My department has published all the recommendations and observations arising from the review. Based on the advice of the Office of the Attorney General, the department is not in a position to publish the full review.

The focus of the current Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill, which is currently at pre-legislative scrutiny stage, relates to marine accident investigation structures and the establishment of a permanent, full-time Marine Accident Investigation Unit as recommended in the review.