Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the memo from Major General Kevin Cotter, dated 30 June 2016, he specifically states:

Accordingly, the Air Corps has identified the following as priority missions that can and must be maintained as these missions are governed by SLAs and are high profile outputs:

1. Emergency medical services

2. Garda air support

3. Maritime patrols

4. Ministerial air transport service

In concentrating on these missions it will not be possible to provide the out-of-hours standby coverage that the Air Corps has been providing with the AW139 and the CASA aircraft.

We have gone over some of this ground before, given the tragedy off the Mayo coast which led to some of the information which was not shared prior to that coming into the public domain.

There are major questions about this. When will the required specialist personnel become available to provide 24-hour cover? When will the Minister of State change the memo to give effect to the Air Corps providing inter-hospital emergency ambulance services, which involves organ transplants for children, or the search and rescue top cover? Has consideration been given to allowing other members of the Air Corps to fly such planes? Some are fully qualified, but are not allowed to fly because they are not officers or pilots.

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