Sir, - How can the Minister of Defence possibly justify his foot dragging with record to the provision of improved helicopters for Ireland's air corps?
As a crew member of Sligo Bay Lifeboat Station I have had the opportunity to partake in rescue exercises with air corps crews flying out of Finner Camp, Co Donegal. On every occasion I found them to be both expert and professional throughout, so if you consider for a moment that in the unfortunate event of main engine failure (during sea rescue) the helicopter must be ditched into the sea, surely common sense must come into play. The men and women flying with Ireland's Air Corps must be issued now with the helicopters that they feel are more suited to the dangerous work they do.
The RNLI supplies and maintains lifeboats around Ireland at a cost of some millions of pounds every year. Crew safety absorbs much of this money because crew safety is of paramount importance to the RNLI. The fact that the RNLI is 100 per cent charity-based does not in any way dilute this expenditure on safety for crewmen and women.
The Irish Air Corps should have the full support of our "Tiger economy", rather than being a victim of our Minister of Defence's "puma" economising. - Yours, etc.,
Martin O'Dwyer (Helmsman), Sligo Bay Lifeboat, Rosses Point, Co Sligo.