Defence Forces Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 July 2012

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Ceisteanna (609, 610, 611, 612)

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

623 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the number of times Defence Forces helicopters were used to transport Government Ministers in Ireland for 2011 and to date in 2012 in tabular form. [34892/12]

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

625 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the pick-up point and destination, the person or persons carried on board and the cost relating to each of the trips in 2011 and to date in 2012 in which Defence Forces helicopters were used to transport Government Ministers here in tabular form. [34894/12]

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

626 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the use by Government Ministers of the Government jet or other aircraft in 2011 and to date in 2012; the person or persons carried, the pick up point and destination and the estimated cost for each journey in tabular form;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34895/12]

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

627 Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the estimated cost of flying a helicopter on Government business per hour; and if he will compare this to the comparable charges from commercial companies in tabular form. [34896/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence (Deputy Alan Shatter)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 623, 625 to 627, inclusive, together.

The Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 aircraft, which were specifically acquired for that purpose. The CASA maritime patrol aircraft have been used infrequently for Ministerial Air Transport missions where no MATS aircraft has been available for operational or technical reasons. Helicopters have also been used on occasion for Ministerial Air Transport in situations where, for operational reasons, fixed wing aircraft may not have been available or suitable for a particular mission.

Details of usage of the Ministerial Air Transport Service for 2011 to date in 2012 are set out in the tabular statement attached, and include details of the requesting Minister(s), dates of travel, mission route and Ministerial time on board.

My Department follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under each of two headings:

The direct cost, which includes costs which are additional to those associated with having the aircraft and which only arise when the aircraft is flown including maintenance, fuel and support services such as catering costs, cleaning services and airport handling charges.

The total cost, which is the direct cost plus the costs associated with having the aircraft including depreciation and personnel costs.

Details of the hourly costs under each heading, which are applicable to both 2011 and 2012, for each aircraft are contained in the tabular statement below:

	Average Direct Cost Per Hour €	Average Total Cost Per Hour €
Gulfstream	3,270	3,790
Learjet	1,940	4,200
CASA	2,800	4,210
AW139	1,410	3,410

It is important to note that these are average costs which take a number of variables into account. It is not possible to assign an exact cost to any particular mission.

My Department does not have comparable charges from commercial helicopter companies as my Department has no requirement to use commercial helicopters.

GULFSTREAM IV (From 1 January 2011 to date)

Date	Return Date	Ministerial Time On Board (Minutes)	Route	Minister
04/02/2011	04/02/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Foreign Affairs
10/03/2011	12/03/2011	185	Baldonnel — Brussels — Knock — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
15/03/2011	18/03/2011	825	Baldonnel — Washington — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / Tánaiste Foreign Affairs
24/03/2011	25/03/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
12/04/2011	12/04/2011	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Tánaiste Foreign Affairs / Justice and Equality / MOS Foreign Affairs and Trade
17/04/2011	18/04/2011	120	Baldonnel — Northolt — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
04/05/2011	06/05/2011	810	Baldonnel — Teteboro — White Plains — Teteboro — Knock — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
09/06/2011	10/06/2011	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Justice and Equality
19/06/2011	19/06/2011	100	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Tánaiste Foreign Affairs and Trade
21/06/2011	22/06/2011	300	Baldonnel — Vienna — Baldonnel	Tánaiste Foreign Affairs and Trade
20/06/2011	20/06/2011	120	Baldonnel — Northolt — Stansted — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
23/06/2011	24/06/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
21/07/2011	21/07/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
25/09/2011	26/09/2011	420	Baldonnel — Algiers — Oran — Baldonnel	Agriculture, Food and the Marine
29/09/2011	30/09/2011	330	Baldonnel — Warsaw — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
12/10/2011	13/10/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
22/10/2011	23/10/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Dublin	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
06/11/2011	07/11/2011	455	Baldonnel — Moscow — Baldonnel	Tánaiste Foreign Affairs and Trade
16/11/2011	16/11/2011	275	Baldonnel — Berlin — Frankfurt — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
30/11/2011	30/11/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Defence
07/12/2011	07/12/2011	345	Baldonnel — Vilnius — Baldonnel	Tánaiste Foreign Affairs and Trade
09/12/2011	09/12/2011	90	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
12/01/2012	12/01/2012	120	Baldonnel — Northolt — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
25/01/2012	27/01/2012	240	Baldonnel — Zurich — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
30/01/2012	30/01/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
08/02/2012	09/02/2012	790	Baldonnel — Teteboro — Whiteplains — Teteboro — Dublin	An Taoiseach / Enterprise / Trade and Innovation
15/02/2012	17/02/2012	835	Baldonnel — Teteboro — White Plains — Teteboro — Boston — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
23/02/2012	24/02/2012	385	Baldonnel — Berlin — Rome — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
29/02/2012	02/03/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / Finance / MOS Taoiseach
15/03/2012	21/03/2012	1050	Baldonnel — Chicago — Southbend — Whiteplains — Washington — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
12/03/2012	12/03/2012	120	Baldonnel — Northolt — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
26/04/2012	27/04/2012	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Agriculture, Food and the Marine / Justice and Equality
23/05/2012	24/05/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach /Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
11/06/2012	14/06/2012	840	Baldonnel — Yerevan — Tbilisi — Batumi — Baku — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
22/06/2012	22/06/2012	185	Baldonnel — Edinburgh — Cork — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
25/06/2012	25/06/2012	200	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
28/06/2012	29/06/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach, Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade), MOS Taoiseach

LEARJET 2011(From 1 January 2011 to date)

Date	Return Date	Ministerial Time On Board (Minutes)	Route	Minister
17/01/2011	17/01/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
14/02/2011	15/02/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
01/03/2011	01/03/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
13/03/2011	14/03/2011	230	Baldonnel — Shannon — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance / Environment, Community and Local Government
21/03/2011	21/03/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance / MOS Foreign Affairs
07/04/2011	09/04/2011	330	Baldonnel — Budapest — Baldonnel	Finance
16/05/2011	17/05/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance / MOS Taoiseach
20/05/2011	20/05/2011	80	Baldonnel — Cork — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach
07/06/2011	07/06/2011	100	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Agriculture, Food and the Marine
11/07/2011	12/07/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
15/09/2011	17/09/2011	290	Baldonnel — Wroclaw — Baldonnel	Finance
22/09/2011	23/09/2011	360	Baldonnel — Brussels — Wroclaw — Brussels — Baldonnel	Defence / Justice and Equality
03/10/2011	04/10/2011	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Finance
21/10/2011	22/10/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
26/10/2011	26/10/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach / MOS Taoiseach
07/11/2011	08/11/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
24/11/2011	25/11/2011	280	Baldonnel — Poznan — Baldonnel	Public Expenditure and Reform
29/11/2011	30/11/2011	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
11/01/2012	12/01/2012	300	Baldonnel — Vienna — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
18/01/2012	18/01/2012	250	Baldonnel — Berlin — Baldonnel	Finance
23/01/2012	24/01/2012	250	Baldonnel — Brussels — Frankfurt — Baldonnel	Finance
26/01/2012	29/01/2012	725	Baldonnel — Naples — Tel Aviiv — Naples — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
09/02/2012	09/02/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
20/02/2012	21/02/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	MOS Finance
24/02/2012	24/02/2012	385	Baldonnel — Tunis — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
08/03/2012	09/03/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Environment, Community and Local Government
12/03/2012	13/03/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
29/03/2012	30/03/2012	240	Baldonnel — Copenhagen — Baldonnel	Finance
23/04/2012	23/04/2012	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Tánaiste (Foreign Affairs and Trade)
01/05/2012	02/05/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
06/05/2012	07/05/2012	330	Baldonnel — Warsaw — Baldonnel	Finance
14/05/2012	15/05/2012	180	Baldonnel — Brussels — Baldonnel	Finance
21/06/2012	22/06/2012	200	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Finance

CASA (From 1 January 2011 to date)

Date	Return Date	Ministerial Time On Board (Minutes)	Route	Minister
27/10/2011	27/10/2011	330	Baldonnel — Luxembourg — Baldonnel	Justice and Equality

AW139 (From 1 January 2011 to date)

Date	Return Date	Aircraft	Min. Time On Board	Route	Minister
10/02/2011	10/02/2011	AW139	125	Baldonnel — Tullamore — Cork Airport — Baldonnel	An Taoiseach