Vol. 533 No. 4
44 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Defence the progress made to date in regard to the acquisition of the new Piranha armoured personnel carriers for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9017/01]
Following a tender competition, which was conducted in strict compliance with Government procurement procedures, a contract was signed on 30 November 1999 for the supply by Mowag of Switzerland of 40 armoured personnel carriers, initial spares, special tools and training courses. The 40 vehicles, known as Piranha 8 x 8s, are being manufactured as 34 troop carrier variants, four command variants, one recovery variant and one ambulance variant. The total cost of the contract, which is spread over five years, is in the region of £40 million, including VAT.
The first two vehicles were produced at the end of 2000 and following rigorous inspection and acceptance testing procedures were officially handed over to me on 11 January 2001. Both vehicles will remain in Switzerland until the end of May 2001 to facilitate training of Defence Forces personnel.
The full production run will commence in June 2001 and I am delighted to say that all of the vehicles will have been delivered by January 2002, almost two years ahead of previous expectations. I am delighted with the progress made on the APC programme. The purchase of the APCs forms an integral part of the ongoing re-equipment programme. The imminent arrival of the vehicles is a great boost for the Defence Forces.
