Vol. 576 No. 6
107 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the fact that after the GOC Air Corps posted 13 of the 17 search and rescue crew out of the unit, three of the four remaining SAR crew transferred out of the unit; the reason for this; the further reason only one of the crew members is still there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30209/03]
108 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Defence the reason, if he says there is great emphasis on the safety aspects of Air Corps operations, over the past few weeks the Air Corps, Sligo has been wincing a student winch-man on to the back of a boat with no instructor or safety winch man on the deck to help him if something were to go wrong; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30210/03]
109 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether, if new search and rescue crews are to be trained by pilots who are not search and rescue pilots or winch operators and who are not medically trained, that SAR will have an inexperienced crew on the west coast in an emergency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30211/03]
110 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Defence if the Air Corps have no rear crew in the helicopter at the weekend; if not, if this means there is no air ambulance, no island medivac and no search and rescue due to the fact the winch operator is doing duty as a gate policeman on the main gate in Baldonnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30212/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 to 110, inclusive, together.
The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of search and rescue services within the Irish search and rescue region. The Air Corps provides the search and rescue service off the north west coast. Since late September, there has been an unusually high incidence of sick leave among the Air Corps rearcrew, including winchmen and winch operators.
As service continuity within the north west search and rescue service operation could not be guaranteed with the existing rearcrews, the GOC of the Air Corps posted 13 of the 17 personnel to other duties. The four remaining crew were due to return to duty, but three opted to transfer out of search and rescue. The reasons, therefore, are a matter for the individual crewmen. The remaining crewman, a search and rescue instructor, serves on the search and rescue roster in Sligo on the S61.
The Air Corps is committed to providing safe working conditions for all its personnel, entailing the use of best practice and the optimum equipment for all missions and tasks. The winchman in question is qualified for search and rescue and was undertaking conversion training on a new aircraft type. I am advised that this conversion training does not require the presence of a search and rescue instructor on the target deck.
All operational search and rescue winchcrew are trained in accordance with best practice and have the requisite skills necessary to undertake the duties of a full service search and rescue operation. There is one full winchcrew operating out of Sligo. Within the AirCorps, there are two fully trained search and rescue instructors and the Air Corps is also looking at all other available options to support the training and development of staff, so as to return to full service as quickly as possible.
