Vol. 564 No. 2
70 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence when it is intended to acquire medium lift helicopters, following the cancellation of the order in 2002 and in view of the clear need for appropriate aircraft to allow the Air Corps to carry out its duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8917/03]
The decision to cancel the tender competition for the acquisition of medium lift helicopters for the Air Corps in July 2002 was taken due to budgetary constraints which meant that the level of defence expenditure had to be reduced. Any decision to acquire medium lift helicopters for the Air Corps in the future can only be taken as the financial resources permit.
The decision to cancel the tender competition was an extremely difficult one for me. However, having consulted the military authorities in the matter at that time the main priority outlined for the Air Corps was the purchase of fixed-wing training aircraft to ensure that cadets continued to be commissioned, trained as pilots and retained in the Air Corps. In that regard, I was delighted to sign a contract with Pilatus of Switzerland in January 2003 for the supply of eight turbo propeller training aircraft which will be delivered in 2004. The value of the contract, including VAT, is around €60 million. These aircraft are a very realistic response to the needs of the Air Corps at the current time.
When the decision to cancel the tender competition was made, I asked my officials to initiate a review of the provision of helicopter services, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, to determine how best to meet the State's obligations in search and rescue, while taking account of the current financial position.
An interdepartmental working group was established to seek alternative solutions to the funding issue, such as public private partnerships or leasing arrangements, with a view to providing helicopters for the Air Corps by other means. The PPP unit in the Department of Finance is also involved in assessing possible solutions. I expect the group to report in the coming weeks.
I am committed to maintaining the Air Corps role in the provision of SAR services and, in this regard, an S61 helicopter has been acquired for the Air Corps to operate in the north west region as a replacement for the Dauphin helicopter. The S61 helicopter has been leased by the Irish Coast Guard from CHCI pursuant to existing SAR contracts and has been tasked by the Irish Coast Guard to the Air Corps. The Air Corps will provide the flight crews and the aircraft will be maintained by CHCI. The S61 will operate out of Sligo airport.
Pilot training on the S61, which is being provided by CHCI, is currently ongoing. It was anticipated that the helicopter would go operational in early 2003 but due to a delay in securing appropriate training personnel it is now forecast that the S61 will commence on site training at Sligo airport this month with operations commencing in June 2003.
