andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Defence what facilities are provided by his Department for the training of candidates for posts as pilots with Aer Lingus; whether fees must be paid by candidates to his Department; whether any portion of the fees of £300 for the first year and a further sum for the following six months, required to be paid by candidates to Aer Lingus, are paid over to his Department; whether these fees were fixed in consultation with his Department; and, if so, why they were fixed at a level which excludes all but the wealthy section of the community from availing themselves of the opportunity.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Training of Aer Lingus Pilots.
122.
Trainees selected by Aer Lingus are given the instruction necessary to enable them to obtain the Commercial Pilot's Licence and the Instrument Rating. The course, which is residential, lasts approximately one year.
Fees are not payable by the trainees to my Department.
Aer Lingus pays the Department for the instruction and accommodation of the trainees. It pays the cost of meals to the Officers' Mess concerned.
The sum of £300 and the further sum referred to in the question were not fixed in consultation with the Department.
Does the Minister approve of the idea that a fee of £300, for a start, and another large sum after the passage of six months should be paid by any young person or by his parents? How does the Minister reconcile the payment of public moneys and the facilities given where the openings are available only to the wealthy section of the community?
As I have told the Deputy, the sum of £300 and the further sum referred to in the question were not fixed in consultation with the Department. The Deputy may be aware that this special training of pilots for Aer Lingus was carried out in Perth —some part of Scotland in any case— and to enable such pilots to be trained at home the Department of Defence facilitated Aer Lingus—on repayment —in the way I have indicated in the answer. The details of the scheme are a matter for arrangement between the Department of Transport and Power and the Department of Defence. We certainly do not nominate the fee which any trainee has to pay.
I just want the Minister's view on this. Does he agree with me it is unjust that quite a large section of the community are excluded by virtue of the fact that the fee is so exorbitant? Would he not agree that it would be more desirable, if a fee is necessary, to allow that to be repaid over a period of years than to take it immediately on accepting a candidate?
The Deputy is losing sight of what I have said. The Department of Defence is not responsible for the details of the scheme. All we have done is to facilitate the Department of Transport and Power to set up such a scheme. It is for them to work out the details of it and I suggest the Deputy should make his representations to the Department responsible for the detailed working of the scheme.
I merely wanted an expression of opinion from the Minister.