GOVERNMENT plans for improved east coast marine emergency helicopter cover have hit a setback, due to a dispute over use of a civilian aircraft at the military aerodrome at Baldonnel, west Dublin.
The new 24-hour search-and-rescue helicopter, which was to be provided by a civilian contractor but flown by Air Corps crew, was due to be on Irish Sea station by the end of this year. More than 20 million people cross this stretch of water by air or sea annually. The craft is not now expected before May 1998 and will be based temporarily at Dublin Airport.
Completion of a £40,000 consultancy review of the Air Corps and Naval Service has also been delayed further because of the election. Extended terms of reference for the consultants were to have been issued by the inter-departmental steering group to Price Waterhouse six weeks ago, but have been held back until the new Cabinet is announced.
However, the new government is expected to meet Fianna Fail's pre-election commitment to the Air Corps and Naval Service to recruit 300 additional naval personnel and to publish a Price Waterhouse consultancy review of the two defence wings as an interim report. Fianna Fail sources said yesterday that there was no reason" this commitment would not be met. Naval strength currently stands at around 1,000 which is not enough to put the seven-ship fleet to sea.
The dispute over the new east coast helicopter involves conflicting legislation, the Defence Forces and Irish Aviation Acts, which requires amending before a civilian craft can be flown into Baldonnel. Significantly, this anomaly was not at issue during the Irish EU presidency, when fixed-wing aircraft such as the second government jet used the aerodrome frequently.
The anomaly will require amending legislation. It has delayed the tendering process for the helicopter, which was promised by the outgoing Minister for Marine and Defence, Mr Barrett, last November as part of a £19 million plan to upgrade east coast services.
The lack of 24-hour air cover on the busy eastern seaboard was highlighted in November 1995 when a Co Wexford fisherman lost his life off Howth. Since then a temporary full-time, but short-range, service has been provided by an Air Corps Alouette during daytime, with a Dauphin at night.
The Minister has said he is committed to Air Corps crewing, and intends to resolve the difficulties in consultation with the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications. A Dauphin will also be relocated to the south/ south-east coast.
That relocation may be affected in turn by increased pressure on the Air Corps. It lost nine senior pilots last year and is due to lose another 14 this year to commercial airlines.
The consultancy review of both Air Corps and Naval Service, which Fianna Fail has promised to publish, has recommended improved staffing ratios, which slightly exceed the overall 11,500 ceiling on the Defence Forces.
This has increased fears within the Army that it might lose out, but Government sources had promised that a "liberal approach" would be taken if the overall figure did not rise "significantly" above the set ceiling.
