Vol. 550 No. 2
449 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the position regarding the promise to implement a special islander allowance and to provide an island tax allowance for wage earners and a special social welfare payment to those living on off-shore islands. [7780/02]
The matter of an islander allowance was first raised by my Department with the Department of Finance in November 1997 when it was proposed that the allowance would take the form of an island tax allowance for wage earners and an extra island allowance for social welfare recipients whose permanent place of residence was on offshore islands. The issue was later discussed within the framework of the interdepartmental committee on the islands, the Gaeltacht and the Irish language.
The Deputy will be aware in this context that an extra €12.70 per week for pensioners living on the islands was announced in budget 2000. I have also recently had discussions with the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs regarding the possible extension of this allowance.
450 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if regular helicopter services have been provided to inhabited islands during the winter months, as well as emergency cover on a year round basis; if so, the manner in which it was implemented; and if not implemented, the reason therefor. [7781/02]
At present, my Department recoups Údarás na Gaeltachta for the cost incurred by it in providing an emergency helicopter service to Tory Island, County Donegal. This service is provided in conjunction with the North-Western Health Board on a fortnightly basis during the winter months for the use of the island community and to enable the health board to transport essential personnel to the island. I understand that the health board also transports its personnel to the island by helicopter during the summer months. Aside from this service, there are no regular subsidised helicopter services to other off-shore islands.
Whenever the need for emergency helicopter flights to assist island communities is brought to the attention of my Department, every effort is made to secure through the Department of Defence, the assistance of the Air Corps whenever it is possible to do so. The Deputy will appreciate, however, that on some occasions they are not in a position to do so for operational reasons.
