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Air Corps

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021

Thursday, 13 May 2021

Questions (11)

Cathal Berry

Question:

11. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Defence if he is still committed to the Air Corps having a role in search and rescue; his views on whether the Air Corps should be tasked to undertake this role in the same way as it was tasked to provide the emergency aeromedical service and Garda air support unit service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24605/21]

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Oral answers (6 contributions)

My question relates to the national search and rescue service. The service is up for renewal in 2023 and I understand proposals will shortly be brought to Cabinet with regard to how best to configure the service from 2023 onwards. I was very grateful for the comments of the Minister a few months ago when he stated that, in his view, the Air Corps should be given the most significant role in providing that service as humanly and physically possible. Is that still his view? I ask him to update the House in that regard.

No decision has yet been taken to change any aspect of the current delivery model for search and rescue aviation services in Ireland's search and rescue, SAR, domain. There is, as I am sure the Deputy is aware, currently a project ongoing under the remit of the Department of Transport to consider, develop and bring to fruition a new marine search and rescue aviation contract for future service provision. The current contract for the SAR helicopter service is between the Minister of Transport and a civil helicopter operator, namely, CHC Ireland DAC. The contract commenced on 1 July 2012 for a period of ten years, with an option to extend for a further three years. The existing contract has been extended for one year to 2023 to facilitate the lengthy procurement process and ensure compliance with the public spending code.

As the House is aware, a strategic assessment and preliminary appraisal document in line with the public service code was brought to the Government for information last July. It included an appraisal of various service delivery options, including where the State assumed full responsibility for the service, either through the Air Corps or a dedicated Irish Coast Guard aviation branch. Both were ruled out for a variety of reasons, notably the risks to the State and questions around potential affordability and deliverability. I agree with the strategic assessment and preliminary appraisal to which I have referred and I do not see the Air Corps taking full responsibility for SAR services in Ireland’s search and rescue domain. I think many people in the Air Corps would agree with that assessment in terms of the timelines and capacity issues involved.

I have acknowledged in the House and other forums that I would like to explore further the option of the Air Corps providing some element of the SAR aviation service, given its historical role in this area. I confirmed previously that late last year I asked my officials to engage further with the Department of Transport to explore the option of the Air Corps providing some element of the next generation SAR aviation service while ensuring that the service meets domestic and international obligations for search and rescue and represents value for money for the State. I have not been prescriptive regarding what model any potential SAR marine aviation service delivery by the Air Corps could take. There is much to consider and examine, including legal considerations, as part of this process. I thank my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for his proactive engagement and that of his team on this matter with the defence organisation in recent months.

I thank the Minister for his very supportive and useful comments. When Roscommon hospital was closed down in 2013 and there was a need to establish a medevac helicopter in Athlone, the Air Corps was tasked with providing this aeromedical emergency service. It has been providing that service successfully for the past ten years. It did not go out to contract; the Air Corps was just tasked with doing it. When a Garda air support unit was needed in the late 1990s, that did not go out to contract; the Air Corps was just tasked with providing the service. Not only was it tasked with doing so, it was actually resourced to do so. Two helicopters were purchased and, as all present are aware, those helicopters are still flying in the air over Dublin. That model is a good one. We should identify what component of the service the Air Corps can look after and then task and resource it accordingly. Any part of the service that cannot be provided by the Air Corps should be outsourced to a civilian contractor. I would be grateful for the views of the Minister on this issue.

I am somewhat limited in what I can say because there is a process under way that I do not want to legally undermine. If I made an inappropriate contribution, I could be accused of undermining the process. This contract involves an enormous amount of public money. It is a process that must be fair to everybody, whether the existing operator or others who wish to bid for the service. It is being managed by another Department. There has been considerable engagement between that Department and my Department to try to do what is appropriate and what would provide value for money and protect the integrity of the process. My Department and I have been involved in that regard.

Ultimately, decisions on the scope, nature and procurement strategy for the next SAR marine aviation service will be a matter for the Government once the detailed appraisal and business case has been finalised by the Department of Transport. My contribution here is to try to ensure that the Defence Forces, through the Air Corps, put options on the table for how they can contribute in a positive way that can guarantee a quality of service and value for money that should be part of the broader considerations. It is up to the Department of Transport to respond to that. We have put a lot of work into this.

I fully appreciate how limited and restricted the Minister is in his comments. The key final point I wish to get across is that this contract could be an enormous contract, worth up to €1 billion over ten years, which is the equivalent of half a children's hospital, but without having a children's hospital or even half a children's hospital to show for it. My specific recommendations are that, where possible, we should invest in our public service first and foremost. We should try to keep the money of Irish taxpayers in Ireland. Instead of assisting international helicopter leasing companies, we should focus on providing for and resourcing our own services first and then outsource what it is not possible for them to provide.

I get the Deputy's rationale. My approach as Minister for Defence is always to look at what the Defence Forces can do, whether they can do more and whether I can resource them to do more so that we can use the assets of the State and the skill sets of the Defence Forces in new areas. It is important to note on the record the quality of the SAR service we currently have in place. I have been winched up into helicopters on more than one occasion. Lives have been saved. The contribution the search and rescue operation that is currently in place has offered in recent years is of very high quality.

It is expensive but it is good value for money given the service that is provided. What is under consideration now is whether the skill set of the Defence Forces can be part of an overall new SAR contract and, if so, what would be the appropriate level of contribution. A range of issues must be considered in that regard by the Department of Transport, which has shown a real open mind on this. I do not want to overplay or overestimate the capacity of the Air Corps and Defence Forces in terms of the role they can play, but I certainly hope they play some role in contributing to the next search and rescue contract.

Question No. 12 answered with Question No. 8.
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