Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Chairman knows, the committee had the opportunity to visit Baldonnel and was impressed at the professionalism and calibre of our personnel. There is a budgetary roller coaster of hours and financial allocation. I got the sense the helicopters are vital. It was an education for me because I thought of it as concerning pursuit of vehicles. We think of TV news images of the pursuit of a driver by the Garda Síochána but helicopters are critical to policing support. Is the Minister looking at this area? Has there been dialogue with the support unit? Is there a need to provide more resources? Has the Minister talked to the Garda Commissioner? We get the sense that the service plays a critical role in the pursuit of criminals. It can identify a person hidden in a hedge through heatseeking technology.