Vol. 573 No. 3
161 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the call made by a number of relatives of those who died in the 1999 Dauphin crash at Tramore for the reopening of the inquiry into the crash and the death of the four airmen; if he will consider this request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25243/03]
I am aware that there has been a call for the reopening of the inquiry into the crash and death of the four airmen who died in the 1999 Dauphin crash. Two inquiries have been conducted: a military court of inquiry and an independent inquiry carried out by the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Transport immediately after the accident. The court of inquiry examined all the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the operation at Tramore, including the lead-in period. The findings of this court of inquiry have been made available to the families of the crew. As I have previously explained to the House, a small number of sections were deleted from the findings before they were released to the families, on foot of legal advice received.
The purpose of the air accident investigation unit inquiry was to determine the circumstances and cause or causes of the accident in order to prevent future accidents. This investigation commenced immediately after the accident took place and a comprehensive report was published in September 2000. Urgent action was taken by my Department in the implementation of the 25 recommendations contained in the report. All these recommendations have now been implemented and a final report has been sent by my Department to the air accident investigation unit.
The matter has been fully investigated and no information or evidence has been presented to me which would suggest that there was any substantive deficiency in the inquiries or investigations conducted into this tragic accident.
Question No. 162 answered with Question No. 131.
