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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 11 Feb 1960

Vol. 179 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Purchase of Helicopters.

47.

asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether reconsideration has been given to purchase of helicopters.

The provision of the helicopters is kept under review by my Department and by other Departments concerned but, in view of the poor support likely to be forthcoming from potential commercial users, I can give no indication of early intentions to provide helicopters.

There was a suggestion made some few years ago that a helicopter might be donated for use here. Would the Minister say if any further developments have taken place in that connection?

The inter-Departmental Committee estimated that for helicopters to be effective in cases of disaster there would have to be at least six stationed at different parts of the country and they found there appeared to be little commercial demand for them. They also found out that, in relation to all the disasters at sea and around our coasts which took place in the last ten years, on not a single occasion would a helicopter have avoided loss of life because of the weather and other conditions obtaining at the moment when such assistance might have been rendered. Therefore the question of providing helicopters has been deferred until there is some more evidence that there would be further commercial use for them.

Surely more uses were envisaged for a helicopter service than using it at sea in emergency cases? The relief of the islands around our coast would be a very important use to which the helicopter could be put and, furthermore, on occasions when an emergency ambulance service from the island to the mainland would be required, that could be provided by helicopter in a much more efficient way than by a lifeboat.

As I have already indicated, the matter is being examined and will be examined again but up to now it has not been found possible to recommend the use of helicopters.

Has the Minister any information as to the number of occasions on which helicopters from British basis in the Six Counties were used for rescue purposes around our coasts in the past three or five years?

I have no information I can give the Deputy at the moment.

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