Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Mar 2000

Vol. 516 No. 6

Written Answers. - Air Corps Equipment.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

214 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence whether the current strength and standard of equipment available to the Air Corps is comparable to that available in other EU member states of similar size and requirements and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9178/00]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

The future organisation and equipping of the Defence Forces, having regard to their new roles, will be determined within the parameters of the White Paper on Defence which was recently approved by Government and the investment programme announced in conjunction with that paper.

As indicated in the White Paper, the revised roles were proposed in response to a detailed assessment of the defence and security environment which specifically pertains to Ireland. There is no basis for a meaningful comparison in the foregoing respects between the Defence Forces and the armed forces of other European Union member states.

The Air Corps has traditionally discharged a mix of functions based on the need to supply a range of different services such as search and rescue, fishery protection and ministerial air transport. The generally favourable security climate resulted in the need for a very limited military air capability. In considering the White Paper on Defence, the Government decided that the current broad profile of Air Corps roles will be maintained. The future development of the Air Corps will be determined within the following policy parameters: maintenance/generation of a 24 hour general helicopter capability for a variety of military and non-military tasks, including Garda support; the provision of search and rescue capabilities on the basis of agreed arrangements with the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources; the provision of a ministerial air transport service; the provision of fishery protection patrol services to standards agreed with the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources; the provision of an air ambulance service on the basis of agreed arrangements with the Department of Health and Children; and other transport services of a military or non-military kind and provision of an appropriate capability to meet training requirements.

Any aspirations to broaden the range of available air based capabilities of the Air Corps, have to be balanced against real world constraints. Given the enormous costs involved, few small countries possess the ability to provide a comprehensive air based defence capability.

Following the publication of the White Paper and in recognition of the urgent equipment modernisation requirements of the Air Corps, I was pleased to announce on 1 March 2000 the allocation of a total of up to £55 million over the next three years for this purpose. These funds will initiate vital investment in new aircraft for the Air Corps under the direction of the high level civil- military planning and procurement group which, as indicated in the White Paper, will be tasked with the development of a new plan to address Defence Forces' equipment needs over a five year time frame.

The General Officer commanding the Air Corps, Brigadier General Pat Cranfield, warmly welcomed the news of this new investment. He has been asked to draw up the full technical specification documents which will be necessary for commencement of the procurement process in relation to two new medium range helicopters and a further helicopter mainly for the training of pilots for the Garda air support unit. This work is under way in the Air Corps and a joint civil-military project team will be set up in due course to organise and oversee the procurement process.