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

I acknowledge that the emergency aeromedical service is continuing and it has a tremendous record since 2012. The key question is whether there will be other interruptions. If we do not have ten crews available at Custume Barracks but instead we have three crews that may be topped up by people coming from training in February, the service will have to be curtailed on other occasions. That is the case because of the crisis within the Defence Forces and the Air Corps in particular when it comes to retention.

I note the Minister of State's indication that the Irish Coast Guard will also provide cover, but it is facing other difficulties and there is no guarantee it will be able to provide any additional cover if there is further curtailment. In the House two years ago I raised the two-year contract awarded to Medflight-Air Alliance Express to transfer children undergoing organ transplant to England.

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That contract was up to April 2020 and involves a cost. I do not know if it will have to be extended or if the Air Corps has the required personnel and pilots to bring such a service back into full operation. We had the tragedy of the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 which went down off the coast of Mayo. Accidents can happen but on the night in question, the Air Corps, either because of a lack of personnel or equipment, was not able to provide the required cover. There are major problems. Cover will be provided by the Irish Community Rapid Response helicopter for 16 days. We need a commitment that the service will not be curtailed beyond the 16 days extending to February 2020.

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