The Cabinet has taken a major step towards having a new Government jet by the end of this year, after Ministers agreed yesterday to discuss purchase and leasing options, writes Mark Brennock, Political Correspondent.
Yesterday's Cabinet meeting set up an interdepartmental group to report on the options within two weeks. The group, comprising representatives of the Departments of the Taoiseach, Defence and Finance, will report on the size of jet required, and the advisability of either leasing or buying a new aircraft.
Government sources said yesterday that it could cost some €50 million to purchase a suitable jet outright, while a leasing deal could cost €3 million to €4 million per year. The Cabinet will discuss the options in two weeks' time.
Yesterday's move follows a series of breakdowns of the Government's 12-year-old Gulfstream IV jet. The aircraft broke down on the eve of the Taoiseach's trip to Prague last week; as he prepared to return home from Mexico last month; and as the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, prepared to travel to Brussels last year. It also broke down in 2001, resulting in the Taoiseach missing a scheduled meeting in New York with the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.
The Government has sought to gain maximum publicity for these breakdowns, leading to a belief that they were attempting to condition public opinion to accept the politically sensitive move of getting a new aircraft.
One Fianna Fáil deputy, Mr Jim Glennon, last week described the jet as a source of "extreme embarrassment for our leader and the nation".
However, Department of Defence sources say the Gulfstream is not particularly old, nor does it have particularly high flying hours for an aircraft of its type. Nevertheless, with a 14-seat capacity it is seen as small, as many ministerial delegations to EU and other meetings are larger than this.
An immediate purchase appears unlikely due to the timescale in which the Taoiseach wants the new aircraft in place. Mr Ahern is anxious to replace the existing one before Ireland's presidency of the European Council of Ministers begins on January 1st next.
However, under EU rules, a purchase would necessitate a tendering process that would unlikely be completed in time.
Therefore, an initial decision to lease an aircraft, followed by a possible purchase at a later stage, appears the most likely outcome.