Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 December 2013
9. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Defence the level of support provided to the Garda helicopter air support by the Defence Forces Air Corps for the years 2008-2013, inclusive. [52779/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraRecently the justice and defence committee had the opportunity to visit Baldonnel and, as when we visited the Naval Service, it was inspirational to see the professionalism of our Air Corps and the patriotism and the pride they have in everything they do. We also visited the Garda air support team. My question is to establish the levels of support we can give them. With their professionalism and dedication the Minister will agree that we need to give them everything they need.
I share the Deputy's perspective of the professionalism of the members of the Air Corps who do a fantastic job and the gardaí who are engaged in the Garda helicopter service. In April 1996 the then Government approved the establishment of a dedicated Garda air support unit, GASU, as recommended in the report of an interdepartmental group on air support for the Garda Síochána. The service commenced from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel in September 1997 and is operated by the Garda Síochána and the Air Corps. The GASU provides a 24-hour, all-year immediate response capability for air support to the Garda Síochána. This arrangement is formalised by way of a service level agreement, SLA, between the parties. The latest agreement was signed in April 2011. The GASU fleet comprises three aircraft: a Defender 4000 fixed-wing aircraft and two twin-engine EC 135 helicopters.
The support provided by the Air Corps to the GASU includes provision of hangar facilities and pilots for all three aircraft and the servicing and maintenance of the fixed-wing Defender 4000 aircraft. Since the inception of the service, the GASU aircraft have flown in excess of 30,000 missions within the State. A breakdown of the number of missions and the hours flown for the years 2008 to the end of November 2013 are set out in the table. I am happy to go through it for the Deputy if needs be. He will see that there is continuing usage and engagement with the service in providing air support to the Garda Síochána.
2008 – 5 December 2013 GASU Statistics
|
Year |
Missions |
Flight Hours |
|
2008 |
2,185 |
2,117 |
|
2009 |
2,142 |
2,155.23 |
|
2010 |
1,617 |
1,617.69 |
|
2011 |
2,126 |
2,266.62 |
|
2012 |
1,279 |
1,188.15 |
|
2013 (to 5 December) |
1,441 |
1,493 |
What I found really interesting, and which may not be commonly understood by the public, is that one presumes air support is to back up a Garda pursuit but it is used for all sorts of support to the Garda. It is the eyes in the air providing crucial intelligence. I will not get into it but the criminals need to be very worried about the technology it provides to assist gardaí on the ground to capture people who are a threat to the public. They have great enthusiasm for what they do. The only concern is that I got a sense that hours have been cut back over recent years. The cutting edge they can give gardaí on the ground is remarkable and my concern is that the Garda helicopter is in the air for fewer hours than in recent years. Rather than turn it into a political football, since everybody in this House would agree that we need to give them everything we can, I urge the Minister to examine that area to ensure we give them every support we can into the future.
The circumstances in which the Garda helicopter should be deployed to assist gardaí in the myriad duties in which they are engaged is a matter for Garda management. As the Deputy will see from the figures, the flight hours seem to go up and down.
In 2009, there were 2,153.23 hours. In 2010, there were 1,617 hours, so it was substantially reduced in 2010 compared with 2009. It goes up again in 2011 to 2,266 hours and goes down again in 2012 to 1,188 hours. I presume the usage is dependent on the issues that arise, the need to deploy them and the work that needs to be undertaken. It is a matter for Garda management to determine when they should be utilised and when it is appropriate for them to provide assistance in the work that is being undertaken.
