Army wages take Shannon security bill close to €10m

NEW FIGURES from Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern show that the State has spent €8.6 million on policing at Shannon airport from 2006 to 2008.

Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has confirmed that the Army has been paid €964,702 to patrol the airport during the same period.

During the three-year period, 799,954 US troops have passed through Shannon resulting in an estimated profit of €21 million for the Shannon Airport Authority.

The Ministers revealed the information on security costs in questions tabled by Green Party TD Paul Gogarty.

Yesterday, Clare county councillor Brian Meaney (Green) said that “it is no longer acceptable that the conspiracy theorists and malcontents scaremongering over the use of Shannon by the US military continue to be a drain of Garda and Army resources”.

Mr Meaney said: “These activists are a significant drain on Garda resources taking away from policing budgets for the Limerick and Ennis areas.”

Mr Meaney added: “It is time that these people grew up.” One of “these people” is retired Army commandant Dr Ed Horgan, who recently tore up his Green Party membership card in protest at the party’s stance on Shannon. Mr Meaney said yesterday: “All I can say is ‘good riddance’.”

Mr Meaney said that while Dr Horgan “is well principled, he is stuck in a time warp”.

Yesterday, Dr Horgan responded.

He said: “It is no conspiracy theory that one million US troops have gone through Shannon. It is no conspiracy theory that CIA planes have passed through Shannon making Ireland complicit in the US government’s torture programme.”

Dr Horgan said: “There will be no let-up in the peace activity at Shannon and it will be increased over the coming months. We will continue to protest and object.”

He added: “We are very concerned that the new Obama administration is increasing the war in Afghanistan and civilians continued to be killed by US airstrikes.”

“[Mr] Meaney supported the use of Shannon during the Iraq war for economic reasons and they are the worst reasons and that is why I have a very low regard for Cllr Meaney,” said Dr Horgan.

Mr Ahern said that €4.8 million has been paid in salaries to gardaí during the period with an additional €2.7 million paid in overtime. A further €1 million was spent in travel and subsistence expenses.

“The deployment of Garda resources is based on an assessment by the Garda authorities of the measures necessary to ensure the safety and security of personnel, staff, passengers and property at Shannon airport,” said Mr Ahern.

Mr O’Dea said that €403,375 was spent on protecting Shannon in 2006, €275,054 in 2007 and €286,273 in 2008.

“The gardaí, who undertake threat assessments for Shannon airport on an ongoing basis, requested the Defence Forces to provide assistance in securing the airport,” said Mr O’Dea.

He said the Defence Forces had been helping to guard the airport since February 2003, and their assistance would continue.