Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of qualified civilian fitness instructors employed by the Defence Forces in the years of 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [25889/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Civilian staff are employed at various military installations to support the work of the Defence Forces. The grades employed are spread across a wide spectrum of roles and include craft workers, services, administrative, healthcare professionals and other specialist grades. My Department did not employ any qualified civilian fitness instructors during the period 2022 to date.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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97. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the percentage of the budget that has been spent to date on the purchasing of the new military aircraft C295W that is due to come into the Air Corps fleet in 2025. [26104/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Airbus C295W aircraft is a new generation tactical airlift with advanced avionics technology in the light and medium segment. The military transport aircraft will provide a dedicated asset to support the Defence Forces military airlift transport requirements and provide a wide contingent capability.

The principal role of the aircraft is for air transport missions. It will enable the Air Corps to provide a wide range of services including logistics support and transport of troops and equipment, medical evacuation and air ambulance, Special Operations Forces operations and a general utility role. The Airbus C295W aircraft is highly versatile and has the ability to conduct operations under all weather conditions. It is fully certified and can routinely operate in day and night missions in all weather extremes, from desert to maritime environments, from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures.

The award of the contract follows a robust analysis of the options that would meet the identified capability requirement as set out in the Public Spending Code and is an extension of an existing contract with Airbus Defence and Space. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2025. The aircraft will be built in the company’s production facility in Seville, Spain.

The cost of the contract, including equipment fit-out and ancillary support, is approximately €72 million including VAT, of which approximately €50 million has already been paid on foot of an agreed contract payment schedule, a percentage of approximately 69% of the total overall budget for the project.