Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Defence the cost of patrolling bogs by the Air Corps to check if illegal cutting is occurring; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36979/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the roles assigned to them in the White Paper on Defence, the Air Corps are committed to providing support to the civil authorities including Government Agencies such as the National Parks & Wildlife Service, (NPWS). As part of the efforts to ensure Ireland’s compliance with the EU ban on turf cutting in Special Areas of Conservation, the NPWS submitted a request to the Department of Defence seeking the transport of NPWS personnel in Air Corps aircraft to monitor these areas.

The Department of Defence follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour. For these missions, the Cessna aircraft has been used and the average hourly direct cost of operating this aircraft, which includes fuel and maintenance costs, is €185. The cost of providing assistance to the NPWS to-date in 2012 is €21,830, (based on approximately 118 hours of flying time).