Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the dates when the Air Corps was unavailable or unable to provide top cover air support for the Coast Guard when performing search and rescue missions between 2014 and to date in 2017. [14770/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Coast Guard provides a nationwide maritime emergency organisation as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies. The Irish Coast Guard search and rescue services can draw on the support of the Air Corps on an ‘as available’ basis under a Service Level Agreement between the Department of Defence and the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, the most recent of which has been in place since 2013.

If requested, and if available, the Air Corps provide Top Cover for the Coast Guard using a CASA fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft. Coast Guard helicopters also provide their own Top Cover during Search & Rescue missions.

Information in respect of requests to the Air Corps for Search and Rescue Top Cover in the period 2015 to date in 2017 is set out in the table. For operational and security reasons, the dates for missions are not included. I am also advised by the Air Corps that corresponding data in relation to 2014 is not readily available. The reasons why particular requests for Top Cover over this period were declined were for a variety of reason including that the aircraft was undergoing maintenance, no crews were available, crew exceeding permitted flying hours, weather conditions, the aircraft was on another mission or no air traffic control services were available.

One of these requests was received from the UK Coast Guard.