Phil Hogan
Question:16 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Defence the numbers recruited for training as pilots for each of the years from 1990 to 1997. [4822/98]
Other Questions. - Air Corps Pilots.
Paul McGrath
Question:25 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications to retire which have been received to date from pilot officers of the Air Corps; the ranks of the applicants and the aircraft types on which they hold a current rating; the number of these applications which have been granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5059/98]
Ivan Yates
Question:46 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Defence the number of Air Corps pilots who were offered contracts to remain in service for three, four or five years; the number who accepted these contracts; the aircraft types on which they hold a current rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4866/98]
John Browne
Question:85 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Defence the position in relation to the implementation of the proposed new incentive scheme for Air Corps pilots announced by his Department on 1 August 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4797/98]
Thomas P. Broughan
Question:90 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Defence the number of pilots in training with the Air Corps; the number, if any, who will be recruited in 1998; and the number who were recruited in each of the years from 1990 to 1997. [5073/98]
Paul Bradford
Question:102 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Defence the reason it is necessary to hire civilian pilots to pilot the Government jet; and the action, if any, he intends to take to deal with the shortage of Air Corps pilots. [4796/98]
Ivor Callely
Question:125 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Defence the likely developments in the Air Corps, particularly in the training of pilots in the years ahead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5065/98]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:181 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the reason it is necessary to hire civilian pilots to pilot the Government jet; and the action, if any, he intends to take to deal with the shortage of Air Corps pilots. [5216/98]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:182 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the position in relation to the implementation of the proposed new incentive scheme for Air Corps pilots announced by his Department on 1 August 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5217/98]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:197 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the number of Air Corps pilots who were offered contracts to remain in service for three, four or five years; the number who accepted these contracts; the aircraft types on which they hold a current rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5232/98]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:200 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications to retire which have been received to date from pilot officers of the Air Corps; the ranks of the applicants and the aircraft types on which they hold a current rating; the number of such applications which have been granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5235/98]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:202 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the number of applications to retire which have been received in 1998 from pilot officers of the Air Corps; the ranks of the applicants and the aircraft types on which they hold a current rating; the number of these applications which have been granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5237/98]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:204 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the total strength of the Air Corps; the plans, if any, he has for further recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5279/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16, 25, 46, 85, 90, 102, 125, 181, 182, 197, 200, 202 and 204 together.
I appreciate the effort to make sure these questions got on to the Order Paper.
The number of Air Corps cadets recruited for pilot training in each of the years 1990 to 1997 was as follows: 1990, seven; 1991, none; 1992, eight; 1993, none; 1994, eight; 1995, ten; 1996, ten; 1997, ten.
There are currently seven senior Air Corps cadets in training as pilots and a further ten Air Corps cadets will commence their pilot training in May. Air Corps cadets will again be recruited this year as part of the annual cadet intake. The total strength of the Air Corps at the end of December 1997 was 1,037.
Eleven of the 26 pilots to which the service commitment scheme was offered are participating in the scheme and one response is still outstanding. The scheme was offered to experienced personnel who are rated on and flying the Gulfstream IV, Beechcraft, CASA, Dauphin, Squirrel and Defender aircraft, which are the principal operational aircraft of the Air Corps. The three officers who have made the three year commitment are qualified on the Dauphin helicopter and five of the officers who made a five year commitment are also qualified on this aircraft. Of the other three officers with a five year commitment, one has a rating on the Gulfstream IV aircraft, one on the CASA aircraft and one on the Marchetti aircraft.
To date two applications for permission to retire have been submitted by Air Corps pilots. One is from a commandant with a current rating on the Gulfstream IV aircraft and the other is from a captain with a rating on the Squirrel helicopter. Both of these applications are currently under consideration.
It has been necessary to contract a civilian pilot of rating examiner status from time to time for the purpose of training and rating pilots on the Gulfstream IV aircraft. This need has arisen because pilots with sufficient experience to carry out ratings have not always been available in the Air Corps. It may also be necessary to engage a civilian pilot as an aircraft captain later this year due to the high level of retirement from the Air Corps.
The service commitment scheme for Air Corps pilots introduced by my Department last year, together with the ongoing training of pilots and the yearly recruitment of Air Corps cadets, will ensure a continuing supply of well trained pilots for the Air Corps.
The Minister's reply highlights the importance of continuous recruitment, particularly at a time when the economy is doing so well and there will be demands made on our pilots and offers of opportunities outside the Air Corps.
It would appear that the incentive scheme will not provide the whole answer to the problem facing the Air Corps. The Minister spoke of recruiting civilian pilots for the Government jet. We have already had a discussion here about the east coast search and rescue service for which the Air Corps cannot supply the pilots, which is unfortunate for morale in the Air Corps. Indeed, we have seen the Air Corps providing a back-up role today. I think the Air Corps would like to be the ones in the front line all the time.
Clearly there is a major problem. What extra initiatives does the Minister intend to take to ensure there will be enough pilots, given that there are obviously not enough at present? It is clear that recruitment numbers must be higher than they have been in recent years if we are to have a steady supply of experienced pilots available to do the sort of tasks the Minister and I would ideally like to see the Air Corps having the resources to do.
I am always amazed at the confidence which the Opposition parties place in me, that I am almost capable of being Solomon when it comes to an impossible problem like this. As the Deputy will be aware, we have applications from six experienced pilots for leave before 30 June. These applications have been processed and agreed. Some of them have been delayed a little, but there has been no compulsory retention.
In addition, there are a further eight applications for leave from experienced people under consideration. Due to the time lag between training cadets and moving them up to rating for Gulfstream IV and other aircraft — one is talking about a number of years and flying hours — there is no immediate recipe open to me to fill those gaps because of the numbers retiring at present.
The incentive scheme to which the Deputy referred involves retention of 11 out of 26 pilots. On the one hand, the scheme is quite successful but it would have been so much better if it was more successful.
The Deputy is correct. We must maintain the recruitment programme and make sure there are enough people joining the Air Corps. What we are not able to do is give any guarantee that they will remain with us once they have covered their service period. That is a real short-term problem. I hope it is not a long-term problem for us, but I have no guarantee that it is not. This short-term problem can only be solved by advertising for civilian pilots to help us overcome some of the problems we may face in the next year or two. It is a source of regret to me, as it is to the Deputy, that in regard to search and rescue we can only do so much in the south-east. We will be in a position to fly the Alouette, which has a limit of three miles in daytime, and perhaps a year later we can increase the Dauphin coverage. That is the reality. In terms of additional incentives to address the immediate problem, we must retain people as best we can, ensure we have sufficient resources and maintain the recruitment programme, although experienced personnel have told me there is no way to fast-track aircraft training. This is a serious business and I do not have the technical expertise to suggest that training should be shortened by one or two years.
I will hear a brief final supplementary from Deputy Fitzgerald.
Obviously there is much concern in the Air Corps about the Price Waterhouse report and the recommendations it will make. Long-term planning is the key to tackling this issue because obviously it will go on——
A question please, Deputy. I want to reach your colleague's question.
New initiatives are needed to tackle this problem. What consultation mechanism does the Minister intend to put in place when the Price Waterhouse report becomes available so that decisions can be taken quickly?
I am extremely anxious to initiate discussions with all the interested parties in the Defence Forces, particularly as Price Waterhouse in this case refers to both the Navy and Air Corps services. I will do that immediately when I have the report to hand.
Will the Minister indicate if ten is the maximum number the Air Corps can take on as recruits in any particular year? If so, will he consider taking on a number of recruits to be trained overseas to supplement the number?
This is one of the matters we discussed recently. Because of the dilemma we face no final decisions have been taken on it. In terms of the numbers that can be recruited, there are obvious limits due to training personnel, the number of aircraft available and the length of time involved. I must add another rider which is that if the aviation industry is so strong it can wait for me to do the hard slogging, the taxpayer to put in the resources and all the training to be done so that it can come in at that stage when the experienced persons are available and make an offer with which I cannot compete, we have to begin to examine the wider questions involved.