Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 June 2004
61 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence the estimated cost of sending the Learjet from Baldonnel to Geneva airport to collect the Minister for Health and Children and his party on 19 May 2004; the number and members of the ministerial party; the number of flying hours; the crew numbers involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17935/04]
View answerThe ministerial air transport section of my Department receives requests on a daily basis regarding the use of the MATS service. Such flights are processed, dependent on the approval of the Taoiseach and the availability of aircraft.
On 19 May, 2004 a request was received from the Department of Health and Children regarding a flight from Geneva. The passengers were the Minister for Health and Children and four officials. There were three crew on the flight, the duration of which was approximately four hours.
To determine an accurate hourly flying cost for an aircraft, it needs to be in operation for a lengthy period of up to one year. As a result, definitive direct costs for the operation of the Learjet are not yet available. However, the manufacturer's estimated direct flying cost for the Learjet is approximately €1,000 per hour.
Does the Minister accept that this incident represents a gross waste of public money and the limited resources of the Air Corps? Does he believe it appropriate that the Government jet should be sent to collect the Minister for Health and Children and his party who, apparently, could not get to the airport on time to catch their scheduled flight? Are there any statistics available regarding the number of occasions on which Air Corps aircraft have been sent to collect Ministers who missed their flights?
One of the reasons the ministerial air transport service was established was to create as flexible an arrangement as possible to enable the Government to manage the work in which it must engage across Europe, particularly during the Presidency. Most people accept the wisdom of having a facility of that kind in place. From time to time, because of delays in meetings or other unforeseen circumstances, a ministerial group can be stranded and the service is generally provided in order to ensure that a Minister is able to get home on time to attend other meetings, deal with other business demands, etc. It is an excellent, flexible and accountable service and most people would agree that it is operated on a very strict basis by the Taoiseach.
I understand, from figures I have received, that the cost of this flight was approximately €10,000. Was the permission of the Taoiseach's office sought and received in the normal way before the flight took off? Does the Minister envisage any changes in the procedures for the use of Air Corps aircraft by Ministers in light of this farcical waste of public money? In my area, €10,000 could be well spent on dealing with many matters.
One can always make one's case when one makes such farcical deductions about costs. The Learjet is regarded as excellent value for money. The purchase price of the aircraft was provided from savings I made last year. The Learjet has flown on 69 occasions since it was bought on foot of heavy demands from the Taoiseach and Ministers. If there is any complaint to be made about the Taoiseach in terms of his responsibility in this regard, most Ministers would say that he is rather too strict.
Was the permission of the Taoiseach's office sought and granted in this case?
The Deputy can take that for granted. As I indicated in my initial reply, flights on the Learjet or the Gulfstream IV are not made without the permission of the Taoiseach.
