Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have spent the best part of two and a half years trying to get people to listen to the shambles that was the previous search and rescue contract and the future search and rescue contract. As we know, it has gone sour, with legal action between the incumbents and the incoming contractor. Imagine my anger this morning when I read an article in the newspaper concerning the directors of Bristow, who I assume had a champagne party and danced around the office after getting the Irish contract of €800 million, because they are after ordering new helicopters costing €135 million. I am not 100% sure what they will do with the rest. At the Deutsche Bank leveraged finance conference in Arizona, Bristow noted that the margins on search and rescue contracts are roughly double those generated on contracts servicing offshore energy assets such as oil and gas. Happy days for Bristow. It is dancing around the place. I heard my colleague, Senator Dolan, talk about putting money in people's pockets. We are taking money directly out of people's pockets and putting it in the pockets of multibillionaires in America to service our search and rescue system.

Congratulations to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who both wrote to me and told me they did not know what was going on when the contract was being negotiated. Is it any wonder we are in the mess we are in. Yesterday, I stood in the Chamber and defended the Minister for Health over the Children's Health Ireland, CHI, scheme. I will not defend the Minister for Transport over this. He was obliged to have oversight of what was going on. Why did we not buy the helicopters and just contract in the staff? We could have bought the helicopters from AgustaWestland with a full maintenance contract. Bristow is laughing all the way with the €135 million cost. CHC lost the contract and is leaving with five helicopters we paid for. It does not make any sense. The people who take the flak every time for this are the politicians. Our civil servants negotiated these contracts. Do they even know what is going on in the world? Have they any idea what competition is about? This is outrageous.

I wish to finish by remarking on marine pilots, a tiny group of 30 people responsible for bringing ships into shore. Some 95% of all goods imported and exported go through marine channels. Those 30 men are responsible for the marine. I want to make a callout on that today. Fair play to those guys. We need to give them an awful lot more support.