Vol. 549 No. 1
1 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the procedures in place within his office for sanctioning requests by other Ministers for the use of Air Corps aircraft; the criteria used in determining whether to sanction such a request; the number of requests sanctioned since he took office; the number of requests refused; his plans to review the criteria for the use of Air Corps aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2274/02]
2 Mr. Noonan asked the Taoiseach the procedures in his Department for the use by Ministers of Air Corps aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4483/02]
3 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Taoiseach the procedures set down in his Department for the use by Ministers of Air Corps aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5597/02]
4 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Taoiseach the procedures in his Department for the use by members of the Government of Air Corps aircraft. [5731/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.
The ministerial air transport service is provided by the Air Corps to facilitate members of the Government in fulfilling their official engagements at home and abroad. General guidelines for Ministers regarding the use of the service are contained in paragraph 1.29 of the Cabinet Handbook. All use of the service requires my approval which is given in the broad context of these guidelines.
The number of flights sanctioned from 1 July 1997 to date is 1,204. No record is kept of refusals. Requests for use of the service are made by Ministers' private secretaries to my office in accordance with procedures and dealt with, in the first instance, by the staff of my office. Requests are examined by my staff in accordance with the guidelines referred to above and any necessary clarification or further information is sought. All screened requests are then submitted to me for approval. I have no plans to review the operation of the service.
Does the Taoiseach believe that the use of the aircraft by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Harney, to open an off-licence in County Leitrim was a mistake? Has he conveyed this view to her in the light of the publicity which surrounded the matter? Will he confirm that an admirer of the Minister who supports her party – I think his name is Mr. Fernandez – offered to pay, or is cited as having paid, the estimated cost of the flight to the Department of Defence? If so, was the money received and how will it feature in the accounts? Is it included as appropriations-in-aid? How is such money normally received by the Department?
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Harney, has acknowledged that there was a personal element to the event in Manorhamilton and that, with the benefit of hindsight, she would have made different travel arrangements. However, the decision to authorise the use of the MATS was correct and justified as it was based on official use of the Minister's time for a formal opening. The Minister made it clear that she would not have done so if she had not been pressed for time that day.
Does the Taoiseach agree with her judgment?
I think, yes. In fairness to the Minister, she does an enormous amount of travelling within the country trying to visit boards and staff of companies in the case of closures. To her credit, she puts enormous effort into such work. She was trying to fit an enormous amount of work into the day in question and has made her position clear. I do not have the details, but I understand the payment referred to by the Deputy was made and received. I presume it was listed as appropriations-in-aid.
Are such payments normally received?
No.
The Taoiseach stated he sanctioned about 1,000 helicopter flights and that his office advises him on what is and is not appropriate. Does his office have a protocol or guidelines under which it operates and, if so, what are they? Does he think the guidelines should change between now and the general election? Will Ministers have the use of Air Corps transport during the general election campaign?
The total number of flights approved is 1,200, which includes all aircraft, not just helicopters. In recent years the use of helicopters has declined fairly dramatically. They are no longer used that much.
The guidelines under which the officials work are set down and fairly detailed. A request for a long flight has to be lodged a considerable period of time before the required date. In the case of a European flight, the request must be made one week before the date. If the flight is internal, the notice period is shorter, but officials endeavour to ensure the request is made one week in advance.
The procedure is that the private secretaries to Ministers and Ministers of State first apply to my officials who make a judgment. If the flight is to Brussels or whichever country holds the Presidency of the European Union, there is an effort to amalgamate arrangements to limit the number of flights and facilitate Ministers and Ministers of State who would normally travel at the same time. If a request is cleared by officials, I will formally clear it. It is then formally sent to the Department of Defence for clearance.
An application must formally include details such as the date and time of departure, the destination, the required arrival time, whether the departure is critical in order that flights can be combined, the date and time of return, airports, the number and names of passengers, outward journeys and a contact name should there be a change due to weather or travel arrangements. Officials make an initial judgment and requests approved at that stage are sent to me for formal approval. The request must then be matched up with the Department of Defence. It is not always possible for the Air Corps to meet a request because of maintenance or the limited number of aircraft. However, it provides the service to the best of its ability.
We try to use the MATS sparingly for internal flights, but no one will be able to use it during an election unless he or she is going on official business outside the country to an EU meeting which has to take place. People will only be able to use the service in those circumstances.
Does that mean we cannot use the service from now on? We are in an election period.
We have been since 1997.
We continue to receive complaints from Members that their contributions are not being properly reported. It is not possible to report a question from a Member when he or she is not given the floor.
I am familiar with this procedure from my period in the Department of Finance ten years ago. It is fairly strictly monitored.
A good friend of mine, the late J. B. O'Hagan, was involved in another controversial political flight when he left the Taoiseach's constituency unexpectedly in a helicopter in 1973. Perhaps the Taoiseach remembers the occasion. Unlike the Tánaiste's excursion, however, Mr. O'Hagan's flight was widely welcomed. Does the Taoiseach not agree that at a time when our fishing industry is under continuing threat, the use of an aircraft dedicated to fishery protection to carry the Tánaiste to County Leitrim to open an off-licence was totally inappropriate? On a more positive note, is the Taoiseach aware that people in rural Ireland, especially in areas removed from large towns with hospital facilities in the west – including County Leitrim – and the midlands and border counties, have been campaigning for a helicopter emergency medical service which could save lives? Will the Taoiseach indicate whether he would support such a service?
The second part of the Deputy's question is a separate question.
I am not too sure about the first part of the question. I thought the Deputy was going to invite me to claim the bill for that flight. However, that was a private helicopter and I think the poor pilot lost his job or vanished. These flights are used sparingly within the jurisdiction. The second question is a matter for the Minister for Health and Children. I heard him answer that recently.
(Dublin West): Does the Taoiseach not find it demeaning and utterly inappropriate for the Prime Minister or deputy Prime Minister of a state to run around the country opening pubs, off-licences and supermarkets? Does he accept that ordinary taxpayers are appalled that their funds are being abused to facilitate the deputy Prime Minister attending the opening of a private business because of some personal friendship? Does he not agree that it is a gross abuse of taxpayers' funds and that the use of a fisheries protection aircraft for this mission is particularly inappropriate?
The CASA is very rarely used by any office holders. Under 2% of its use is for that purpose. It is only used when no other aircraft is available. The CASA has its daily routine and when it is finished that it will undertake a flight if it is available in an emergency or at short notice. It is never removed from fishery protection duties for this purpose. The CASA undertakes rotational trips on a daily basis and these are not affected.
The argument that Deputy Joe Higgins makes is unusual as people usually complain that Ministers and Ministers of State do not spend enough time out in the regions. They are constantly being asked to undertake engagements by people in rural communities. The Tánaiste did so, but she has given her own view on the matter and there is no need for me to reiterate it.
Does the Taoiseach agree that the function of opening off-licences in a local authority area such as County Leitrim could easily be carried out by the chairman of the county council, the manager of the county team or a whole array of publicly elected representatives? Does he not find it incongruous that the Tánaiste and Minister with responsibility for the largest single Department in the State, who at present has seven Bills at different Stages to deal with, is making a false choice and undermining her role by diverting scarce resources so that she can open an off- licence in County Leitrim when she could be in this House or in her office? She was not only elected to this House but is the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Does the Taoiseach agree this is precisely the sort of behaviour that brings politicians and the whole profession of politics into disrepute?
Can he indicate whether, in the case of an application for ministerial air transport before his Department, where the normal aircraft is not available and the CASA must be used, the matter is referred back to his Department, having regard to the role of the European Commission which significantly co-funded the aircraft and helps to monitor its use? If he does not have a monitoring system in place, will his Department ensure that requests for the CASA receive special scrutiny and agreement from the Taoiseach? Will he give an undertaking to put such a monitoring system in place?
In recent years the CASA has only been used for this purpose 40 times out of 1,200 trips and only when it is required. It is used sparingly and only short trips from coastal locations are taken. The Department of Defence makes sure that it is used only rarely.
Is the Taoiseach consulted about use of the CASA? Is special clearance required?
No, but once I have approved a flight the Air Corps makes the decision. As can be seen from the figures, the CASA is used only rarely. It is certainly never used for other purposes when it is required for coastal duties. The CASA is not the best means of flying. I have experienced it on a few occasions and it is not the best experience I have ever had.
Presumably one can get a cure at the off-licence.
One might be able to go to the toilet.
Exactly, and a few other things too. However, I do not want to go over this again. The Tánaiste said what she said, but she certainly would not have been here in the House at night on the Friday before Christmas passing legislation. She endeavoured to do a full day's work on that occasion and achieved a number of important things. Running out of time for her own programme, she then undertook an official engagement that was also important to her on a personal level. She has clearly stated her position so there is no point in my saying any more about it.
(Mayo): Does the Taoiseach accept that the CASA is a specialist aircraft? It is chock-a-block with technical equipment for doing the business it is supposed to do, namely fishery surveillance work. Because of this, it should not be used on any occasion for work other than that. It is totally different from the other aircraft available. One can appreciate the need for its use on rare and exceptional occasions such as the removal of the remains of the late Mr. Jack Lynch from Dublin to Cork because the existing helicopters obviously could not take the coffin. However, apart from occasions such as this, it should not be used.
Does the Taoiseach not accept that a clear set of guidelines is required, setting down exactly what constitutes an official engagement? By elimination one can then arrive at what constitutes an unofficial engagement, which this certainly was. It was an abuse of taxpayers' money.
The CASA is only used on exceptional occasions. I have already given the figures which prove that is the case. It is only used where there is no other means of transport available. I have already answered the Deputy's other question. The guidelines are quite clear. As in all of these cases they can be interpreted differently. The Tánaiste has her own interpretation of the guidelines. In the normal course of events the opening of a business would be cleared as an official engagement, but the Tánaiste has explained that this engagement also had a personal element.
In his response to the second part of my earlier question the Taoiseach said that it was a matter for the Minister for Health and Children. It is incumbent on Government to make a decision and to articulate a position on the helicopter emergency medical service. Does the Taoiseach see a role for the Air Corps in the provision of such a service? That service is an absolute requirement for vast swathes of the country.
The Air Corps has been asked to assist hospitals or families on a number of occasions and has done so. I am aware of the broad question of a national service and the Minister for Health and Children has had discussions on that.
