Vol. 566 No. 5
2 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence when it is intended to acquire medium life heli copters, 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 their duties; if his attention has been drawn to the recent newspaper interview given by the GOC of the Air Corps in which he described the cancellation as a blow to morale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13206/03]
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. 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 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 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. 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-hour service operational from October, 2003.
Does the Minister accept that the decision to cancel the order for the five medium-lift helicopters effectively tore the heart out of the Air Corps? Does he accept that it reflects a very serious situation when the GOC of the Air Corps states publicly that the decision was a blow to morale, and that the GOC is in a far better position to judge the morale of the Air Corps than the Minister? The Minister stated the last time this question was asked that morale in the Air Corps had never been higher. Would he agree that was not an accurate statement? Will he further accept that an early decision to go ahead with the order is essential for both the morale and the effectiveness of the Air Corps?
I stand over my statement that morale in the Air Corps has never been higher. Deputy Wall has been out to Baldonnell, but if Deputy Sherlock had the time to visit he would see the type of investment that has been made there in recent years: a new hangar, a new helicopter wing, and now the purchase of trainer aircraft. Admittedly, the cancellation of the order for the helicopters was a blow to the Air Corps and was very disappointing to me also, but the total investment has been very significant. We are looking forward to acquiring the trainer aircraft between March and June of next year.
A recent interview with the GOC, a very forward-looking man with great vision and commitment, was an extremely positive one from the point of view of the Air Corps and his vision of the future. I am at one with him in terms of knowing that the investment by this Government and the previous Administration in the Air Corps bears no comparison with that of any previous Administration. We are looking forward to continuing that work. Great needs were overlooked for a long time, but we are gradually responding to all of them.
That this was a blow to the morale of the Air Corps was a very significant statement coming from the GOC. Why has the Government decided that the needs and comforts of Ministers with regard to travel are more important than the operational needs of the Air Corps? Will he accept that the order for the two jets should be scrapped and the orders for the helicopters reinstated?
There is obviously quite a misunderstanding here, because the amounts of money which are being provided for the trainer aircraft will probably end up being significantly higher than those for ministerial transport requirements. It is important that the Deputy realises that the pilots, the people who run and organise ministerial transport, are members of the Air Corps and that in terms of training, opportunity and so on, that provides an excellent part of their overall activity.
The value of this country in terms of current and capital expenditure is the equivalent of a €39 billion industry. There are small companies in this country, with values of about €100 million, making their own transport arrangements to create the flexibility they require to do business all over the world. We have significantly expanding business throughout the EU and beyond. Scheduled flights do not always suit us, nor do they always suit other Governments. We want to do business on behalf of this country in a forward-looking, businesslike way, spending as much time as we can in Ireland and at the same time having speedy access to the work we do abroad. That is an important part of the work the Air Corps does.
Should the Government jets be scrapped to provide for the Air Corps?
