Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Nov 1961

Vol. 192 No. 4

Adjournment Debate: - National Helicopter Service.

Sir Anthony Esmonde

Last week, I asked the Minister for Transport and Power a question relative to the establishment of a national helicopter service. The question has been asked on innumerable occasions because, as far as I am aware, we are the only civilised country in the world that has not got a helicopter available for rescue work or any other kind of work. The Minister in his reply indicated that helicopters were unable to work in high winds or in bad visibility. The unfortunate loss of the Halronnell off the coast of Ireland recently with the loss of three lives and the subsequent rescue by helicopter of three of the sailors seems to indicate that this is a very necessary adjunct to our services. The Minister indicated in his reply that it was a fortuitous circumstance that it was possible to carry out this rescue.

It is fair that I should give the House the facts as to what happened in the case of the Halronnell and Deputies may then decide whether a helicopter service would or would not be of value for rescue work here.

At 6 p.m. on a Sunday, the Halronnell went ashore on the Black Rock off the Wexford coast. No news was conveyed to the lifeboat crews in Rosslare harbour until 12.50 on the following morning, due to the fact that there is no emergency receiving service anywhere on that coast. The lifeboat put out in very bad weather and went to the wreck, getting there many hours after the ship had gone ashore. While they were there, the wreck broke in two. As the Minister indicated in his reply, the front part of the wreck was left on the rock and some of the crew were left there. The lifeboat crew did everything in their power to effect a rescue, even at the risk of being dashed to pieces on the rocks. They then went away and came back at dawn, about 8 a.m. They were absolutely certain that there was life aboard the wreck and they indicated that the only hope of getting the people off was by helicopter. We have no helicopter available in this country. They transmitted the message to the Macha which was lying alongside at this stage. The Macha transmitted the message to another quarter—I believe to Haulbowline— and subsequently the Royal Naval Helicopter Service in Cornwall was contacted and a helicopter appeared at 12.50, which was 24 hours after the ship had gone ashore. For three hours of that period, three men had been in the forecastle, or what was left of the ship, on the rocks, facing almost certain death.

The Minister stated in his reply that in high wind or misty weather, helicopters cannot function. I would draw the Minister's attention to the fact that it was blowing practically a full gale. I have that from the lifeboat man himself. Within a quarter of an hour, the helicopter rescued the three men and dropped them aboard the other lifeboat which was then standing by, the Kilmore Quay, and they were brought ashore.

In the light of these facts, does it not seem reasonable to suggest that this country is entitled to a helicopter service and that the people who sail or fly around our shores are entitled to the protection that a modern contrivance such as this places at their disposal?

In the second part of his reply, the Minister went on to say that the availability of helicopters for search and rescue work in Britain and elsewhere in Europe arises incidentally from a primary military requirement. I do not think that has any bearing on the situation, except in so far as it was extremely fortunate for us in this and other cases that we have been able to call upon the British and to get a helicopter. We must be mindful of the fact that we must wait a considerable period before that service can be made available, as was evidenced so tragically in this case where three men lost their lives.

The Minister went on to say that he did not think it would be justifiable to expend £200,000 on capital and £100,000 a year operating cost. I do not know where the Minister gets his figures. I do not know if he will be able to justify these figures. Nor do I know if the Minister is aware of the fact that an offer was made to him or to his Department, and that officials were interviewed in his Department, to provide a service for £25,000 a year plus £12 flying cost per hour in the air. That offer was made to the Minister by an Irish company, Celtic Helicopter Services. They have offered to have two aircraft available on a 24 hours basis, one in Dublin and the other at either Galway or Shannon Airport, to have a round-the-clock service there available and to have three pilots available so that there would be no risk that they would not be able to go into action, when and where required. Therefore, I do not follow the Minister's figures that it would cost £200,000 on capital and £100,000 a year for the maintenance of the service. But, whether that is the case or not, if it is necessary to lay out £200,000, is it a tremendous amount of money to spend to protect the lives of sailors and airmen off our coast or to bring sick people from lighthouses or to transport people to hospital from remote districts? That service was offered to the Minister. I should like him, when replying, to tell me if that is the case and, if it is, why he refused to take it.

The whole text of the Minister's reply to this question, which was asked by several Deputies, is absolutely unworthy of him. I do not know if he wrote it himself or if it was written by advisers for him. Whoever wrote it knew absolutely nothing about the facts. It is a very serious state of affairs that a Minister should say in this House that this is something that happened but that may never happen again. How does the Minister know we will not have a full gale tonight or tomorrow night? How does he know that a ship will not go ashore in similar circumstances? Is the Minister, who is responsible for seeing that services are made available immediately for those in danger off our coasts, satisfied that the existing services are what they should be?

The case of this ship was wrong from the word "go." Why should these people have had to be stuck on the rock from 6 o'clock on that Sunday evening until 1 o'clock in the morning before any help reached them? When help did reach them, the lifeboat crew, with the utmost gallantry, dropped anchor and even allowed their boat to drift astern at the risk of their lives, and they were only saved at the last moment by keeping off the rock. Why was it when they asked for a helicopter, even though we have not got a service ourselves, they had to wait four or five hours before a helicopter was on the spot? Whose business is it to produce the helicopter service? Does the Minister maintain, as I am led to believe from his reply, that a helicopter service is not necessary, that it is not desirable or even able to do its job? Has the Minister been properly advised? I think not. Whoever advised the Minister on this question and whoever is responsible for this answer —he was not directly responsible for the phraseology himself—showed an absolute lack of knowledge of the circumstances.

It is all very fine for people to sit in offices and work out things on paper. There is a definite obligation on this country to provide a rescue service in case this set of circumstances arises again. I hope the Minister will at least consider what I have said. If he will consider the offer which I have been told has been made to him, of a helicopter service at such a moderate charge to the State, he will be doing far better than listening to the views he may be getting from people sitting in warm offices while lives are being lost at sea for want of a rescue service. I ask the Minister to give this matter his full consideration.

Before I give way to my colleague, Deputy Ryan, may I just say that I regret having to raise this matter on the Adjournment? It is the second time in ten years that I have raised anything on the Adjournment. I am doing so because I feel what happened off the coast of Wexford should never have happened. Not only should those three men who were rescued by the helicopter, which flew in at extreme range to effect the rescue, be alive, but also those three who died should also be alive.

Mr. Ryan

We should be grateful to Deputy Esmonde for raising this matter. It is quite clear from our national newspapers that there is widespread public support for a helicopter service. We should feel ashamed that we pay such a small contribution to the Lifeboat Institution which has saved so many Irish lives. Proportionately this country pays an extremely small contribution towards the Lifeboat Institution and were it not for the fact that our neighbours are prepared to support and pay for that Institution on our shores, we would have next to nothing in the way of lifesaving services for the people who sail the seas around our coasts.

I appreciate that there is far more British shipping in our seas than Irish shipping, but I think most of the rescues carried out by life saving services around our coasts are in respect of Irish citizens who simply move a short distance from the land, and crews of Irish trawlers and Irish-based trawlers. It is a national disgrace that we do not provide more funds for the Institution. Since that is the situation, there is a moral, national and social obligation on us to provide at least an Irish-based helicopter service.

Deputy Esmonde has correctly challenged the Minister's figures. One of the difficulties in relation to the provision of a helicopter service is that there is really an inter-departmental row involved. No Department of State wants to take on the responsibility because it cannot justify the maintenance of the service because of its particular departmental functions.

The Minister for Defence has not got sufficient military use for it. But the Minister for Justice found it useful for a traffic survey and we were glad to learn it cost nothing. It was found to be invaluable, so far as the traffic problems were concerned. It is pertinent to say it might be of considerable value in the prevention of unfortunate incidents of a military character along a border which we hope will not be there much longer. Certainly a helicopter would have great police work value. It would also be of assistance in fire-fighting where not only can property be saved but in many cases lives saved.

A helicopter can be of use in the agricultural sphere. It can be used for spraying and in the inspection of crops. Surely it would be of use in fishery protection? It could be of use in various kinds of industrial and commercial activity. When the matter is examined one finds that a helicopter could be used all the year round for various purposes. It is about time our Departments settled this row about who is responsible for it. What the country needs is a couple of helicopters based at the most appropriate places. It is about time that was done, and that all this red tape, the inter-departmental row, the Ministerial jealousies and the niggardliness on the part of the Minister for Finance, was abolished. Then we could have what other countries regard as a necessity, a helicopter service available for important occasions such as lifesaving, and industrial, agricultural and military use.

Minister for Transport and Power (Mr. Childers)

First of all, I want to say that there are no Ministerial jealousies, no red tape within the Departments and no conflicts in the minds of the Inter-Departmental Committee, which included experts from the Irish Air Service and the Naval Service, with regard to the character of their report to the Government that six helicopters would be required for rescue service and the cost would be £200,000 capital and an annual cost of £100,000. It is quite extraordinary for Deputy Sir Anthony Esmonde to suggest that there was something unworthy in the character of officials of the Department or myself in regard to our decision in this matter.

I want to say unequivocally that none of the three men who unfortunately lost their lives would have been saved if a helicopter service had been available off the coast of Wexford. Secondly, I want to make it clear that it was not blowing a full gale when the British Naval helicopter operated. The speed of the wind was from 30 to 35 knots, which is just within a helicopter's performance. Thirdly, I want to make it clear that the wireless apparatus of the vessel itself had broken down and anything in connection with the events had had nothing to do with radio reception facilities in Ireland.

The question was raised about an offer by private helicopter service. On the 3rd February, 1961 discussions took place in regard to this matter. The proposal was made to base one helicopter at Shannon at a cost to the State of £18,000 per year. The company was informed, and they accepted, that rescue operations would not be effective with one or even two helicopters stationed at Shannon. So the fact we were offered one at an annual subsidy of £18,000 does not have any bearing on the general question that we would need six operating on a basis of a 24-hour service with men specially trained for air rescue operations.

I have already stated the facts in regard to the use of helicopters in the case of wrecks that have taken place. This is the first occasion on which a helicopter proved to be useful. It was only through an act of Providence that the wreckage on the rock remained together sufficiently long during the night so that, when daylight came and when for the first time it was possible for a helicopter to be used under any circumstances because the wind abated, the helicopter's services were usefully employed in that connection.

I should add that in the case of the unfortunate crew member who lost his life on the raft he could not have been rescued and that one helicopter alone stationed there could not have found the raft. The search would have required the services of other helicopters and vessels and the helicopter could not have eventually found the raft because at that time it was far beyond the range of an Irish helicopter operating from the Wexford coast.

In regard to the various miscellaneous uses to which helicopters could be put, we had a complete inquiry into that in which various associations, Government Departments and companies were asked how far they could make use of a helicopter. The replies were most disappointing both in regard to spraying, surveying and all the other various uses in which helicopters play a part in other countries. I have asked Aer Rianta Teo. to make a further inquiry and to see whether, since 1957, some of these companies changed their minds, whether in relation to our advancing economy we could find some commercial use for helicopters for various purposes.

I would be quite willing to advocate the expenditure of £200,000 of capital and £100,000 annual expenditure for any life saving service if I could see the results would be productive. On the basis of past experience, as I said, I would not like to recommend the spending of this money. There would be many other ways in which a sum of money of that dimension could be spent, both in regard to preventive measures for the saving of life and measures in connection with road safety. I can think of half a dozen ways in which such a large sum could be far better spent because of the experience we have had up to now.

My Department is perfectly prepared to engage in innovations of any kind if they are going to be useful. We insist that our airports have extremely expensive equipment designed to increase the safety of passengers arriving or departing from our airports. We do not take a restrictive attitude towards the purchase of very expensive navigational aids of all kinds. We insist that Aer Lingus should continue their tradition of the most meticulous maintenance of their aircraft. We do everything reasonably possible in connection with the life-saving service around our coasts to make sure it is effective and efficient.

I want to close by saying that beyond all doubt rescue service is international in character. We are not the least ashamed of the fact that the ships and aeroplanes of other countries— and, therefore, in our case largely those of Great Britain—help us in rescue operations. Rescue operations everywhere are recognised as an international service in which everyone engages. I want to pay a tribute once more to the British Navy for the part they played in this rescue operation. I have conveyed my thanks and the thanks of my Department to the First Lord of the Admiralty in that connection.

This matter must be looked at internationally. Vessels of every nation are passing around our coasts. We are only too glad to have other countries come to our rescue and we, on our part, if ever we had the opportunity, would be glad to assist them. That applies of course to the corvettes of the Naval Service and to any of our commercial aircraft which might in the course of their journeys be able to divert in order to help in rescue operations.

As I said, there is nothing restrictive in our attitude towards this matter. We are simply facing the actual facts. This is the first occasion on which a helicopter based in this country could have been of any service for rescue operation and we would need, not one, but six if they were to be of any use. As a result the cost, to my mind, is beyond what could be considered reasonable under the circumstances.

The Dáil adjourned at 11 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 23rd November, 1961.