I want to raise an urgent issue that has arisen in relation to the Irish Coast Guard air search and rescue service. I met with crew representatives from across the State yesterday, including pilots and other crews, who raised serious safety issues and fatigue issues. This is down to 24-hour shifts where a greater portion of their shift is now being classed as "on standby" time. They are not on standby, they are on site, they are in work and in a state of immediate readiness. They also argue that the Irish Aviation Authority is in contravention of the EU working time directive. Will the Minister examine this? The State needs to come clean if it is the case that we are in breach of that directive. We owe it to those crew members to ensure that safety is paramount. There have been far too many accidents in this area.

I thank the Deputy. What is really important in aviation in particular is that safety comes first. I have not seen the particular report referenced but I will ask the Minister for Transport to respond to the Deputy's particular questions and the concerns raised by workers. Safety would come first in any framing, or agreement, of a contract or indeed the operational work around that contract. The Minister for Transport will be able to respond to the Deputy's concerns comprehensively. We are in a new contract with Bristow relating to the Coast Guard which will serve us over the next number of years. I can ask the Minister for Transport to respond to the Deputy's question.