Vol. 527 No. 4
31 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Defence if the proposed Air Corps air safety office has now been established; the personnel and resources that will be available to the office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28949/00]
An Air Corps officer of Lieutenant Colonel rank has been appointed by the GOC Air Corps to carry out the duties of air safety officer. The question of the further assignment of personnel in connection with the work of the air safety officer is a matter to which the GOC Air Corps is giving urgent attention.
I am pleased to report that the procedure for the selection of an appropriate agency to undertake an air operations safety audit of the Air Corps, as recommended in the report of the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Public Enterprise into the accident at Tramore on 2 July 2000 has commenced. The report envisages that the results of this audit will form the foundation for the new Air Corps air safety office.
As I have outlined previously in the House, I have directed that this audit be carried out at the earliest time possible and all support necessary will be provided by my Department and the Defence Forces to the chosen agency to carry out its work.
As I have stated previously in the House, all of the safety recommendations set out in the report which call for action by the Department and the Defence Forces are being considered as a matter of priority with a view to their immediate implementation and, in this regard, I have put in place arrangements to monitor progress in regard to the implementation of the recommendations.
The second meeting of the working group charged with overseeing the process was held recently in the Department of Defence, involving representatives from my Department, the Defence Forces and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources. Progress reports from the various bodies involved were presented and reviewed and a composite progress report is currently being prepared in the Department, which will be presented to me within the coming days. This group will continue to meet on a regular basis in order to ensure the speedy implementation of the safety recommendations set out in the report. I am aware that progress is also being reported by other bodies involved.
Is the safety officer a member of the audit group which is being established? Has he been involved in all of the meetings between the Department and the relevant agencies and what back-up services exist? I have asked the Minister this question on previous occasions. I acknowledge that safety is one of the Minister's top priorities but it seems strange that, having appointed a safety officer, the necessary back-up services are not provided to allow the officer to investigate problems such as the one in Finner and the 25 safety recommendations made in regard to the Tramore accident. Is he a central figure as regards the audit group, meetings and contact with the Minister?
The duties of the air safety officer are different from the safety audit. He forms an integral part of all that will be done with regard to his functions as safety officer. I have asked the general officer commanding the Air Corps to ensure that any back-up arrangements, staffing requirements or additional resources that will be required to make his job as effective as possible will be provided. He has indicated that he is dealing with that with all urgency.
As regards the crash at Tramore, the Minister stated the audit group is now investigating the 25 recommendations. How many have been adhered to? What is the position in regard to each of the recommendations given their importance to safety within the Air Corps? I accept the Minister may not have the information to hand on each of them.
The issues that arise for me are ensuring a safety officer is appointed, that he or she has the necessary back-up resources, the establishment of the audit, getting special expertise of an international character in that area that will support that exercise and discussions with the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources which has primary responsibility for search and rescue. The Department is conducting work that relates to the training of the search and rescue units and the special expertise that is required in that area. Even though it is early days following publication of the report, efforts are being made to ensure the maximum number of recommendations are put in place without delay. I have reported to all other Departments that have a special function in this area – they will be aware if they have special responsibilities – to ensure we have a more coherent and comprehensive approach to these matters.
Is the position of the air traffic controller in Waterford sorted out? When they are using that base in Waterford will there be an air traffic controller in Waterford airport? There were problems relating to the crash. Are the problems regarding the appointment of an air traffic controller there resolved?
The problem in regard to air traffic control as it arose in the context of our previous discussion had to do with out of hours services. We have the Alouette but we do not have the night service. It is only when that is being restored that the dedicated service that is required in the context of all these support services will again be an issue.
