Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The emergency aeromedical service, EAS, is an air ambulance service that helicopters from the Air Corps have been providing since 2012. We heard only this week that the service is being curtailed for safety reasons, which we acknowledge. It is being curtailed because of a failure by the Government to address a resourcing issue, as the most valuable resource in the Defence Forces and Air Corps is its personnel. The fact that the personnel have not been there for a period and are not likely to be there in future concerns me. In press releases this week, the Department has stated the service has been curtailed by four days each month until February next year, but no guarantee has been offered by the Department, military authorities or the Minister - the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar - that the crisis in manning levels for the Air Corps is at an end.

The Taoiseach stated that this position was "not ideal", and this is the understatement of the year. This is a service that provides for those who are critically ill in the main, accident victims or medical emergency cases that may be transferred to a hospital for appropriate care. It is used daily, such is the success of the service to date. We should praise the charity that is stepping into the breach to save the blushes of the State. It is great that the Irish Community Rapid Response organisation has the expertise and facilities to step in and deliver the service or at least cover the service for those days that the Air Corps cannot do it.

It is a sad state of affairs that we have reached a point where the Defence Forces must be backed up by a charity. This comes after many years of representative organisations for the Defence Forces and Members in this House, including me, continually raising the issue of the failure of the Government to address the retention problem in the Defence Forces and Air Corps in particular. Specialist personnel are required. These are not just pilots but also back-up and maintenance crews. Currently there are only three full crews available for the service despite the fact that there is a need for ten crews.

I hope the Minister of State will be able to reassure me in his comments that come the end of February next year, we will have ten full crews in place. I do not believe it will happen but it is what we have been told. The statement indicates that this curtailment will only last for a number of months.

We acknowledge the energy and enthusiasm of the men and women in the Air Corps and their ability thus far, despite reduced numbers, to deliver a service. It has got to the stage now where they cannot deliver this because it would put their lives at risk or the lives of those at risk they are sent to help. I hope the Minister of State can reassure us on this.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I apologise on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for defence, who cannot be here today, unfortunately.

As Deputy Ó Snodaigh indicated, the EAS based in Custume Barracks in Athlone is an important service provided by the Air Corps. Notwithstanding the well-documented ongoing human resources challenges in the Air Corps, particularly with the recruitment and retention of pilots, the EAS has been delivered without interruption since 2012, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh, in fairness, has acknowledged. The Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, has prioritised this service and will continue to do so in future.

The Minister of State received military advice that the Air Corps will not be in a position to accept EAS taskings from the National Ambulance Service for four days per month for a period of four months from November 2019 to February 2020. That is regrettable but necessary for safety and governance reasons. During this time there will be a training surge to produce a new cohort of aircraft commanders for the EAS, and this will ensure the long-term viability of the service provided by the Air Corps. The safety of serving personnel, HSE staff and patients is the shared number one priority and our whole focus is returning the EAS service to full capacity.

During the 16 days when the Air Corps will not accept taskings, the Irish Coast Guard will provide reserve cover for the National Ambulance Service. This is in line with the Government's decision in 2015 to establish the emergency aeromedical service. The Irish Community Rapid Response, ICRR, emergency medical service, which was mentioned by the Deputy, has agreed to provide additional cover using a second helicopter, which will be based at Roscommon University Hospital on the days when the Air Corps will not be in a position to accept taskings for the EAS. The ICRR will also continue to be available in the south of the country.

The whole focus is on returning the EAS to a full service and full capacity. A number of measures are being pursued, including the reintroduction of the service commitment scheme for pilots, the recommissioning of former Air Corps pilots and the training of junior pilots during that time. The emergency aeromedical service provided by the Air Corps has completed more than 2,600 missions since it commenced operations in 2012. On behalf of the Minister of State and the Government, I pay tribute to the professional and effective service provided by Air Corps personnel, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh did as well. I acknowledge the support of the Irish Coast Guard and the ICRR during this period. The shared priority is to provide the best available service using all available resources during the four days in each month when the Air Corps will not be available for EAS taskings. This interruption is regrettable but necessary, as I stated, from a safety and governance perspective. Everybody accepts it is correct if that is the advice that has been provided. The emergency aeromedical service operated by the Air Corps will continue and it is not being wound down. The service will continue to be provided by the Air Corps.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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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.

3 o’clock

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.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy raised some legitimate points. I will ask that they be brought to the attention of the Minister of State at the Department of Defence and he might reply directly to the Deputy.

The focus is on returning the service to full capacity. The loss of 16 days is regrettable but necessary from a safety and governance perspective. I know the Deputy will accept and appreciate that if advice is given on safety, it must be adhered to. At least there is a fall-back position in this case and it is being implemented. During this time there will be a training surge to produce a new cohort of commanders. Steps have been taken to ensure there is an air ambulance service available on the 16 days in question. As I indicated previously, the Irish Coast Guard, complemented by the Irish Community Rapid Response service will provide additional cover using a second helicopter which will be based at Roscommon University Hospital on those days. This necessity for short-term measures is regrettable but it will contribute to the longer-term viability of the service.

The Deputy will know as well as I do that there is no silver bullet when it comes to the provision of pilots. I am not a military aficionado but I expect that pilots are highly trained individuals who are highly sought after. There is a shortage of pilots. As I stated, the Minister of State is pursuing a number of measures, including the reintroduction of the service commitment scheme, the recommissioning of former Air Corps pilots and the training of junior pilots. These measures are being taken to ensure the service can be reintroduced. The Minister of State has been advised that a maximum of 16 days will be lost. The Deputy has sought further assurances and I will ask the Minister of State to reply to him directly in writing.