Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Defence if the Air Corps retain old aircraft for historical purposes; the number and type of old fixed and rotary winged aircraft it retains; his plans to acquire former Air Corps aircraft; his plans to have these on permanent display to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8644/07]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Air Corps retain a number of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft for historical purposes in an Air Corps Museum at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. Details of the aircraft in the Museum are set out in the tabular statement below, which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. In addition, the Air Corps has two aircraft on loan to the National Museum of Ireland in Collins Barracks, Dublin.

The Air Corps Museum receives visiting groups on tours subject to written application and approval by my Department, which is normally forthcoming. The museum is located in a section of a hangar in Casement and, therefore, for security reasons the museum cannot be open to the public. While there are no proposals at this time to put the museum aircraft on permanent display to the public, as I stated earlier, we have made aircraft available for display by the National Museum and access to the museum in Casement has not proved to be a difficulty for people who are interested in viewing the aircraft.

I have recently approved the purchase of a former Air Corps aircraft, an AVRO 631 CADET, from its current owner in New Zealand. The estimated cost is in the region of €200,000. It was originally delivered to the Air Corps in the 1930s as a trainer aircraft and was disposed of in 1945. The aircraft will return to Ireland in April 2007 and will be re-assembled to flying condition in due course. It is planned to house the aircraft in the Air Corps Museum and display it at air shows and events in the future.