Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Significant work has taken place to-date in my Department in order to progress the Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) project and a competitive process to acquire a new mid sized aircraft for Ministerial Air Transport has just been published on the Official Journal of the European Union platform. This project is being carried out in accordance with the Defence and Security Directive 81/2009 and in compliance with the Public Spending Code.

The principal role of a new mid-sized aircraft is primarily for the delivery of the Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) that will also be used for a broader range of tasks. These include the non-combatant evacuation of Irish citizens from critical situations, air-ambulance patient transfers, medical evacuation or repatriation of Irish Defence Forces personnel deployed on overseas missions, and logistics support for the transport of sensitive material/resupplies to Irish Defence Forces overseas missions.