Vol. 491 No. 7
137 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Defence the cost of maintenance of the Air Corps fleet; the number of personnel involved in this maintenance work; if there is a shortfall in key maintenance positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13303/98]
The cost of maintenance of the Air Corps fleet in 1997 amounted to some £6,630,000 and a total of 390 Air Corps personnel are tasked with the maintenance of the fleet.
At present there is no shortfall in key maintenance positions. This situation is kept under constant review so as to ensure that sufficient qualified personnel are available to carry out the maintenance function. In this context the question of recruitment of apprentices for the Air Corps will be considered in the light of the overall apprentice requirement for the Defence Forces later in the year.
