John Gormley
Question:25 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence his plans to purchase helicopters on behalf of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13153/03]
Written Answers. - Defence Forces Equipment.
Dinny McGinley
Question:26 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether the Air Corps is adequately equipped, financed and manned to fulfil its functions; and the progress which has been made in implementing the recommend ations of a review by a company (details supplied). [13063/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 26 together.
The Deputy is aware that efforts were made in the recent past to acquire medium lift helicopters for the Air Corps with the holding of a tender competition. However, the tender competition was cancelled in July 2002 because of the 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. I am also aware of the acute disappointment felt by Air Corps personnel when the decision was announced.
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 helicopters 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 (SAR), while taking account of the current financial position.
An interdepartmental working group was established to seek alternate 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. A report on this is currently being finalised.
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 where training is currently ongoing. It is expected that the helicopter will go operational for daylight hours in July 2003 with a full 24 hours service operational from October 2003.
I am satisfied that the Air Corps is adequately equipped, financed and manned to fulfil its day to day roles. With regard to the manning issue, this was addressed by Price Waterhouse and its recommendations for a new organisational structure based on a total of 930 personnel were accepted and the appropriate steps taken to ensure implementation. Significant progress has also been made in the development and implementation of service level agreements with the Air Corps primary customers.