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

A letter to the committee from the Department of Defence states the Cessna fleet will be replaced by three larger aircraft, suitably equipped for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance tasks. It states the procurement process has commenced. Since we are dealing with the questions of funding and upgrading the fleet of the Air Corps, can the Minister of State outline the process involved?

Can it be considered in the procurement process that these new planes be used to tackle gorse fires, as they could do so on a larger scale than helicopters which did a tremendous job in recent times? A plane, however, fitted out properly, would be able to tackle such fires on a greater scale.

See this speech in context