Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I may come back to the Deputy on the issue because I am in no way qualified to answer the question of whether Cessna aircraft would be able to put out gorse fires.

A service level agreement is in place with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport which is responsible for the Irish Coast Guard service. We offer backup or top cover on an availability basis to that Department for the Irish Coast Guard and the HSE for inter-hospital transfers through another service level agreement. We have had challenges in the past 12 months in fulfilling these agreements and informed both the Department and the HSE about them. We have been totally upfront in our contacts with both organisations.

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