Woods says he has no proposal to merge marine radio stations

The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources has said that he has received "no proposal" to amalgamate the State's three coastal radio stations at Dublin, Malin, Co Donegal and Valentia, Co Kerry.

However, Dr Woods has stopped short of ruling out a merger, which was one of the main recommendations in a recent consultancy report on marine safety, submitted to the Government's expenditure review committee.

In a statement yesterday, the Minister said that "if and when" any proposal was put to him regarding the future of coastal radio stations, he would be "particularly mindful of the regional and local implications of any such proposal, as well as the views of the staff who run these stations".

As reported last month in The Irish Times, the Government consultancy review of marine safety has recommended that the State's three stations in Donegal, Kerry and Dublin be amalgamated, and it says that the existing safety network is not equipped to deal with international commitments on pollution control.

Only one of the three coast radio stations is required due to technological improvements, the unpublished review says. Though it does not specify which station should remain open, it is understood that the Department of the Marine prefers Dublin.

Malin was one of Marconi's first locations for his experimental wireless telegraphy service at the end of the last century, while Valentia has been synonymous with international communications history since it became the terminus for the transatlantic cable in 1865. It recently sent the last Morse signal from this coastline.

More than 30 staff affected by the merger should be re-deployed to carry out pollution control, the review, by Price Waterhouse consultants, says. It also recommends that aerial pollution control be contracted out, or commissioned as part of Air Corps fishery patrols.

The study, commissioned by the Government's inter-departmental expenditure review committee, rules out providing a helicopter ambulance service within the remit of the Irish Marine Emergency Service.

The case made by a group of rural doctors for a helicopter emergency medical service is being examined by the Department of Health.