Perhaps the Minister has already done so and, if so, he might inform us but if he has not would he take an overview of this whole situation in regard to maritime safety? In that connection many of us are deeply concerned at the decision taken by Irish Lights to de-man a number of lighthouses along that coast, to proceed with a programme of automation which will mean in effect that the west and south coasts will have no effective coastal watch. This is related to the subject matter of Question No. 3 because all of these matters should be inter-related and considered together. I ask the Minister to give us, if he can, some view on whether his Department are having a comprehensive look at all elements of a maritime safety programme — lighthouses, lifeboats, radio networks and so on. The Minister might agree that the time for such a comprehensive review is now, particularly in view of this decision taken to de-man lighthouses, a decision which was taken on purely commercial grounds without any regard to its implications in a number of areas, particularly maritime safety?

I am not sure the Deputy is correct when he says that the decision in relation to the lighthouses was taken purely on commercial grounds. Of course there were commercial considerations but I have no doubt that the Commissioners of Irish Lights are fully conscious of the safety requirements; indeed that is their very purpose in life. I am quite sure that anything they have done will in no way jeopardise safety at sea. I wonder whether there is much value in having a coastguard or coast watch of the type mentioned by the Deputy. They do have such in some other countries, especially where there is a high volume of shipping close to the coast. We do not have that here. It was never intended that the lighthouse men should be watchers. Indeed, their visual range would not stretch very far so the area of sea covered by any such watch would be minimal. Nonetheless, because the funding of Irish Lights has been reviewed recently and because its future administration is under review — because of those new funding arrangements — probably it is appropriate to consider the points raised by Deputy Haughey. I can assure him that they will be considered in the light of that revised administration.