Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the current costings of the emergency aeromedical service offered by his Department to operate for a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46989/21]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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128. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the total sum of Exchequer funding that the emergency aeromedical service receives from the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46992/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 128 together.

The Air Corps provides a broad range of services in accordance with its primary defence and security role. It also undertakes a diverse range of non-security-related tasks including the provision of air ambulance services to the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The HSE’s Aeromedical Desk in its National Emergency Operations Centre is responsible for the co-ordination of all health-related air transport arrangements. In addition to the Air Corps, the Irish Coast Guard and private air ambulance operators also provide air transport services for the HSE.

The 2015 Government Decision, which established on a permanent basis, the Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) service approved an additional annual provision of €2.2 million to the Defence Vote for reimbursement of Air Corps’ costs incurred in the provision of the service. The Health Vote is reduced accordingly. This sum is based on 480 flying hours per annum and is subject to periodic costs review. This sum also takes into consideration average fuel and Air Corps personnel costs. Any annual flying hours in excess of 480 hours are charged to the HSE separately by the Department of Defence at a rate of €3,180 per hour.

The estimated cost of ancillary costs directly related to the operation of the EAS service since July 2015 is approximately €700,000. These costs include items such as maintenance of the hangar in Custume Barracks and have been borne between the Defence Vote and the Department of Health.

Personnel costs associated with NAS personnel are borne by the HSE and are not reflected in the €2.2 million figure.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the key performance indicator analysis of the emergency aeromedical service in terms of the number of callouts received from the National Ambulance Service, average arrival time and so on; and the breakdown of the number of incidents that have been attended to by the service in each of the years 2016 to 2020. [46995/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) Service is a daily, day-time service based in Custume Barracks, Athlone and which operates primarily in the West of Ireland. 

Since the commencement of this service in June 2012, the Air Corps has completed over 3,300 missions, 1,805 of which were completed in the period 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020. 

The following table summarises the EAS service missions between 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020. 

*It should be noted that the National Ambulance Service and Air Corps definition of a 'tasking' was not fully aligned during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Therefore figures provided by each organisation may differ for these years.

**Reasons for denying a callout can include the aircraft being already tasked elsewhere, insufficient daylight hours and adverse weather, among others.

I am advised that the average response time by the EAS stands at 6.5 minutes, which ensures an effective response to time-critical taskings by the HSE. 

The EAS service is a good example of the Air Corps and HSE combining their resources to deliver life-saving services for the people of Ireland.