Vol. 464 No. 4
123 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Defence the plans, if any, there are to hire or lease an additional aeroplane during the term of Ireland's Presidency of the EU; if so, the cost involved; the capacity of this additional aeroplane; and the company involved. [8394/96]
Taking into account the experience of the EU Presidency in 1990 and the expansion of the Community since then, it is clear that existing Air Corps aircraft will not be able to meet all ministerial air transport demands arising in the period of the Presidency. Having considered a range of options, it was decided that the use of an air taxi service would be the most suitable way of meeting all the additional requirements. The Department of Defence is currently running a tender competition to select the supplier of such a service. The aircraft to be used will be capable of carrying up to eight people to all major cities within the European Community. The cost of the air taxi service is dependent on the number of flying hours completed by the supplier during the Presidency.
