The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has defended the purchase of a new Government jet, insisting the €8.5 million cost has been funded through savings in his annual budget.
The nine-seater light business Lear 45 jet arrived at Baldonnel aerodrome this afternoon and will go into service in the New Year. Mr Smith said the jet was a necessary tool for Ireland's EU presidency, which commences on January 1st.
The jet replaces the Government's 23-year-old Beechcraft plane. Its successor was inspected by the Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant-General Colm Mangan.
The main Government jet, a 14-seater Gulfstream IV, is still in service. A plan to upgrade this plane at an estimated cost of around €50 million was abandoned earlier this year for cost reasons.
The new Lear flies at up to 51,000 ft, has a range of 2,000 miles and a cruise speed of over 500 miles per hour. It has been hailed as a leap forward in technology terms compared to its predecessor and all its instrumentation is highly computerised.
The minister said that contrary to what many people think, the jet was not a luxury item and had been funded savings made in other divisions of his department.