Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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128. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to outline his recent engagement with Water Safety Ireland to increase water safety awareness; and whether he will consider running an awareness campaign during the summer months, given the number of tragic deaths that have occurred over the past number of months. [38313/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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Water Safety Ireland (WSI), which comes under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory, voluntary body established to promote water safety and reduce drownings in Ireland. WSI has statutory responsibility for the promotion of public awareness of water safety; the advancement of education related to the prevention of accidents in water; instruction in water safety; and the establishment of national standards for lifeguards.

WSI’s Strategic Development Plan 2023-2027 operates in conjunction with Ireland’s National Drowning Prevention Strategy 2018-2027. The Strategy focuses on five pillars, namely education, awareness, training, intervention and action. It sets out how Water Safety Ireland aims to reduce the number of drownings in Ireland by targeting at-risk groups.

We can see the practical application of the Strategy through a number of education programmes provided by WSI. Several of these programmes are aimed at children, from the Hold Hands programmes in early learning centres, to the PAWS programme which is on the primary school curriculum, and to the GET WISE programme for secondary schools. These programmes are informed by the knowledge and experience of generations of water safety volunteers and life guards and have, undoubtedly, prevented many tragedies.

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting with the leadership and a number of volunteers from Water Safety Ireland in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. They were celebrating 10 years of the Lifesaving Training Centre at White Strand, a project funded by my Department under the LEADER programme. I also had the honour of meeting two volunteers who, between them, have given more than 80 years of service to Water Safety Clare. I look forward to meeting with WSI again in the near future and to seeing more of the vital work that they do.

It is important to note that funding from my Department to WSI has more than doubled since 2022. WSI have used this money to establish new training and education programmes, to run large-scale and targeted awareness campaigns. My Department will continue to support WSI as they develop their education, training and awareness raising activities.

Ireland's National Water Safety Awareness Week was run between the 19^th – 25^th May 2025. This is one of the largest annual campaigns that Water Safety Ireland runs and includes national and local media, water safety focused events on beaches and at inland waterways, and the participation of over 5,000 volunteer members nationwide. It is one of many awareness-raising and educational campaigns that WSI runs throughout the year.

In 2024 Water Safety Ireland ran 145 Summer Safety Weeks in 23 Counties. These Summer Safety Weeks provide structured instruction in swimming, while also developing essential skills in water safety, rescue techniques, water survival and basic life support. Water Safety Ireland will be running over 150 Summer Safety weeks across the country in 2025.

Water safety is also a key focus of the annual Be Summer Ready and Be Winter Ready campaigns, run by the Office of Emergency Planning, in collaboration with Met Éireann, Water Safety Ireland and the Irish Coast Guard, amongst other state agencies.

Extensive advice, information and supports are available on Water Safety Ireland’s website at In addition, visitors to WSI's website can report missing ringbuoys, check which beaches and waterways are lifeguarded and when, and find out more about water safety courses available in their areas.