A pre-qualification tender for the provision of the Irish Coast Guard aviation service was published before Christmas. It specifies at least three bases nationally. Currently, there are four - Sligo, Shannon, Waterford and Dublin.

It is absolutely essential the R118 emergency service continues to operate from Sligo Airport. For the past two years, on the basis of call-outs, Sligo has been the busiest of the four national bases, covering an area from Galway to Belfast.

Sligo has a major disadvantage in tendering. The other six airports receive Government funding and there is €159 million, including capital funding, allocated over the next four years but Sligo is not included. There is massive concern that Rescue 118 will be taken from Sligo. I am asking the Tánaiste for a guarantee that Sligo will be one of these bases.

As a former Minister with responsibility for transport, I am very aware of this matter and the essential search and rescue services provided by our Coast Guard and its contractors. As there is a contractual process under way, I am a little limited in what I can say. I can say what we expect to be the outcome and a contractual process must follow. We anticipate the outcome will be that there will continue to be four bases and they will be the same four bases at Waterford, Sligo, Cork and Dublin. I think it is those four. There is a contractual process under way, however, and it must follow a certain procedure. I hope it can give people some reassurance that the Government is very happy with the service we have currently and we would not like to see it diminished.