Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In 2003, after 40 years of involvement, the Fianna Fáil Government of the day ended all Air Corps participation in search and rescue services, which were then operating out of Sligo. Since then, the money spent on these search and rescue contracts has been eye-watering to say the least. This year the Department of Transport's budget for these services is €60 million, or just over €5 million per month, and it will spend an estimated €700 million over the term of the contract. This money would have been much better spent on investment in our Air Corps as the entity the State relies on for maintaining the service.

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