John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if concerns about the future viability of the Air Corps if it is completely excluded from search and rescue services will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36690/20]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to follow up on a question my colleague raised earlier in Priority Questions relating to search and rescue. The technical specifications for the new contract have yet to be finalised, but, according to some sources familiar with the internal discussions, serious consideration is being given to allowing the winning bidder to base its fixed-wing aircraft in the UK as a cost-saving measure. Currently, the Air Corps provides the top cover in many search and rescue missions. My specific question is whether that will happen and whether the Air Corps will be cut out, with that provision being included in the contract which could potentially end up with a UK bidder.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I just do not get what the obsession with the UK is here, as if we cannot have a bidder from the UK. The current search and rescue contract is primarily with a UK company and it has done an extraordinary job. Yes, it is very expensive for the State, but we have saved many lives as a result of it.

This is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Transport.

The steering committee to get this right also involves significant input from the Department of Defence and the Air Corps itself. I have no sight of likely bidders or proposals, so I just do not know where that is coming from. All I would say is that we have a number of years to prepare for a new search and rescue contract. It involves a very substantial amount of public money. I would like the Air Corps and the Defence Forces to be as involved as possible in the shaping of the new contract, but I want to make sure that what is committed to can be delivered and then that we can plan for training and investment around that. It may be the case that when we look at this in detail the options may be quite limited. The most important issue here is that we provide a very comprehensive search and rescue service around the coastline.

I can remember on the previous occasion this issue was being discussed in 2010 and 2011 that I asked very similar questions to the ones Deputy Brady is now asking. I asked why we could not invest hundreds of millions of euro in the Air Corps to build capacity and to provide search and rescue capacity instead of outsourcing the job to somebody else. I got very comprehensive answers as to why that could not be done. As I already stated on the record, I am very interested in trying to do as much as we can through the Air Corps in terms of contributing to search and rescue capacity around the coastline. I also recognise that there is a process in place with much expertise and experience planning for when the current contract runs out.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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It has been reported that some six private contract companies are expected to bid for the contract, and two of them are UK-based entities. It has also been reported that one of them is also contracted to do clandestine work for the UK's Ministry of Defence. Earlier, the Minister referred to a specific concern about intelligence and the retention of same. These are my concerns but, more important, they are the concerns of Irish officers in terms of the intelligence implications. The Minister brushed it away and essentially said it was baseless, that there are no concerns about the intelligence implications. What measures are in place to ensure there is no concern in that regard? Are specific measures included in the tender for the contract to address any potential concern around intelligence?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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First, it has not been finalised yet. I assure Deputy Brady that any assessment of companies tendering to provide this service will be very robust. The process will be independent. The State will go through an appropriate process. I think the Deputy indicated earlier that we will be committing hundreds of millions of euro in this regard. Over the lifetime of the next contract the State will spend well over half a billion euro on search and rescue contracts. The process that will need to be followed will need to be very robust and I assure the Deputy that no element of this contract will compromise the intelligence of the State. That is something, which for obvious reasons, is not going to be facilitated in the provision of a service like this.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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In the context of the contract, concerns have been expressed about the viability of the Air Corps not just by politicians but by Air Corps officers. We have established that the technical detail of the contract is still being worked out. In a previous response to a question the Minister said that when he was on these benches he asked questions about a lack of investment in the Air Corps and he said he got reasonable explanations as to why that should not or could not happen. He might share some of them now because I have not heard any reasonable explanation as to why the money should not be ploughed directly into the Air Corps to make it viable and so that it can continue to provide a first-class service. The Minister might touch on some of the reasons that changed the view he had when he was on these benches and where he is now as the Minister with the responsibility and ability to provide the money to the Air Corps.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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First, we are ploughing money into the Air Corps. The Air Corps operates a fleet of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft which provide military support to the Army and Naval Service, together with support for non-military air services such as Garda air support, air ambulance, fisheries protection and, at times, ministerial air travel.

Priorities for the Defence Forces, including the Air Corps, are considered in the context of the White Paper on Defence. In line with these agreed priorities, work is well advanced on updating the Air Corps' fleet of aircraft. The replacement of the Cessna fleet, as provided for in the White Paper, with three larger aircraft which are equipped for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, ISTAR, has been completed and these aircraft, which cost just over €43 million, are now operational. In addition, in March this year, a fourth PC-12 NG aircraft was purchased to provide very immediate additional fixed-wing capacity to meet the unique situation arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The White Paper also provides for the replacement of the CASA 235s with larger more capable aircraft that would enhance maritime surveillance and provide a greater degree of utility for transport and cargo-carrying tasks.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Minister.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A contract for the supply of two C-295 maritime patrol aircraft was entered into with Airbus Defence and Space in December 2019.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are over time.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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When are they arriving?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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That is a contract that is worth approximately €221 million. The aircraft should be delivered in 2023. It takes time. The idea that we are not ploughing money into the Air Corps and that its future is in any way threatened just does not stack up. We are doing the opposite: we are building capacity.