Vol. 514 No. 5
3 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence when the report of the inquiry into the Air Corps crash on 2 July 1999 will be available; if its findings will be made public; if the relatives' expressed concerns regarding safety will form part of the inquiry; when the military court of inquiry will complete its work; and if a decision has been taken on the replacement of the Dauphin helicopters. [4768/00]
Following the accident at Tramore, County Waterford, on 2 July 1999 in which four members of the Air Corps were tragically killed, the Minister for Public Enterprise and I jointly directed that the accident be investigated under S.I. No. 205, 1997 – Air Navigation (Notification and Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Regulations, 1997.
Pursuant to this directive the investigation is being conducted by the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Public Enterprise. A senior Air Corps officer with appropriate training is acting as investigator in charge. He is being assisted by inspectors from the AAIU, by Air Corps personnel and two experts from overseas – a principal inspector from the UK air accident investigation branch and the head of military psychology of the Swedish armed forces.
The purpose of this investigation, which is wide ranging and complex, is to determine the circumstances and cause or causes of the accident in order to prevent future such accidents. All issues, including those raised by relatives concerning safety, are being encompassed by the investigation. The final report of this investigation will be made public.
The regulations provide that the final report should be published, where possible, within 12 months of the date of the accident. In this connection it is estimated that a draft final report will be ready for circulation to interested parties by the end of next March. Any safety measures proposed by the investigation team will be implemented as a matter of priority.
In addition to the aforementioned investigation, a military court of inquiry has been convened to inquire into the circumstances of the accident. Its main thrust will be an examination of the final report of the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Public Enterprise and the coroner's report. Therefore, the work of the military court of inquiry will proceed following publication of the final report of the air accident investigation unit. The court of inquiry must also await the coroner's court findings. The coroner's court is adjourned until mid-July next.
The future equipment requirements for the Air Corps and response thereto will he dealt with in the context of the forthcoming White Paper on Defence. The purchase of a significant number of capital assets, such as new helicopters, would require considerable investment of State funds to finance the initial acquisition and the ongoing maintenance regimes which must be followed to ensure the fullest level of operational safety. Pursuing the objective of best use of financial resources, I must be satisfied that whatever procurement programme is embarked upon will be an integrated response to the real and realistic needs of the Air Corps and the Defence Forces overall in fulfilling their roles and tasks in the new organisation.
In the meantime, I recently established a civil-military board to examine urgently a number of issues in relation to Air Corps equipment, particularly in the context of flying training and the operation of the search and rescue service. I am awaiting the board's report.
I thank the Minister for his reply and again express our sympathies to the relatives and friends of those tragically killed in this accident. Will the Minister confirm when the report will be finished? He referred to this in his reply but he did not give an exact date.
March.
Are there any plans to replace the Dauphin helicopters, if so, at what cost and from where will the money come? Is the Minister concerned by recent media reports of incidents involving Air Corps aircraft? One such report concerned an incident in which a blanket became entangled in the rotary blades.
The Minister referred to re-equipment and the estimated savings of £25 million per year over ten years accruing from reductions in personnel. This amounts to £250 million which is in addition to the extra £5 million per year for the Air Corps. Does the Minister agree that this money will only cover the funding of naval and aircraft equipment and that there is no provision for the Army in this figure?
The question is a little unusual because it has been mentioned by people in full-time employment in the Defence Forces that this is a problem. The £300 million mentioned by the Deputy is in addition to existing resources. This year equipment and refurbishment for the Naval Service, the Air Corps and the Army totalled £62 million, which is the highest ever investment.
The Deputy is right that £500 is not enough for the Air Corps. It is additional to the resources I have available to me normally. The Air Corps requires new aircraft and that is why the Military Civilian Board was established to indicate to me the type of aircraft the Air Corps requires. Once I get the report, we can proceed.
As far as the Air Corps generally and the safety of the Dauphins are concerned, we have checked them out internationally and we have also heard from our personnel who, having worked with the Air Corps for a number of years, are safety conscious and do not fly aircraft which does not meet the stringent aviation standards. The report the Deputy requested will be available in March.
