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

The Minister referred to the strategic assessment and preliminary appraisal document and that both State-run options were ruled out for a variety of reasons. The Minister's written response expands on those reasons, citing "the risks to the state and questions around potential affordability and deliverability". In that context, and in the context of the money due to be spent next year, how can the Minister not see that his statement flies in the face of any commitment to the Defence Forces, particularly given that he said moments ago that the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces was due to be established by the end of the month? Is he saying the Defence Forces are too expensive or that they are not worthy of investment? Is it that they are not properly equipped to carry out this kind of work? When this decision was first made, the differential between the private operators' wages and Air Corps wages was between €10,000 and €20,000, and not in favour of the Air Corps.

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