Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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842. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development her recent engagements with the board of Water Safety Ireland regarding recommended staffing and equipment guidelines for lifeguarding that it issues to local authorities; if there has been engagement regarding lifeguards at Clashganny and Milford in Carlow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29587/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Water Safety Ireland (WSI) has statutory responsibility for the promotion of public awareness of water safety; advancement of education related to the prevention of accidents in water; instruction in water safety; and the establishment of national standards for lifeguards.

In 2023, I launched WSI’s Strategic Development Plan 2023-2027. Goal 5, with its four corresponding objectives, specifically focuses on lifeguarding, at both beaches and pools.

WSI has been training lifeguards since 1945 and has thirty committees doing so nationwide. WSI training records show that almost 2,300 lifeguards were certified in 2023. The WSI lifeguard education syllabus meets the standards sets by the International Life Saving Federation, which is composed of national aquatic lifesaving organisations from around the world.

The employment of lifeguards and the equipment provided to them are matters for the relevant local authority under the Local Government Acts. Neither my Department nor Water Safety Ireland have a remit in respect of local government employment or equipment provided for local government services.

Water Safety Development Officers (WSDO) are employees of the relevant local authority, and their duties typically include purchasing of water safety equipment for lifeguards, instructors and examiners, and employment of lifeguards at swimming areas during the summer season.

Guidelines for safety equipment and its use are agreed between WSI and the LGMA. WSI does not recommend a type or standard of equipment for Local Authorities and it provides risk assessments only on request from a local authority.