MINISTER FOR Transport Noel Dempsey last night confirmed the search and rescue helicopter service at Waterford Airport would continue to have coverage over a 24-hour period up to 2023.
Up to a thousand people planned to attend a meeting in Waterford city tonight after it emerged two weeks ago that Mr Dempsey planned to cut the 24-hour Coast Guard helicopter in a new contract with its operators.
Such a move would have saved about €1 million per year. However, it would have cost lives in the region, according to local campaigners.
Mr Dempsey, in an apparent reversal of department plans, told local Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally that the service was safe up to 2023 at the least.
The news emerged as the Waterford-based rescue helicopter successfully rescued a man in a kayak off Hook Head yesterday evening.
The man was airlifted to Waterford Regional Hospital. A hospital source said that the man was suffering from hypothermia but “otherwise okay”.
In the south east last week, Mr Dempsey said the reform plans would give an “improved” service that was subject to on going “review”. He said that national spend for the service would increase from €27 million to €50 million per year with much larger helicopters providing 24-hour coverage for Ireland’s coastline.
The Government was in negotiations to possibly sign a new contract with Canadian company CHC, the current operator of the helicopter service from Waterford Airport. In this contract, it was proposed to downgrade the Waterford service to a 12-hour daylight operation only, subject to a review in 2013.
Mr Kenneally last night said: “There were huge deficiencies in what was being proposed and I think if the 12-hour service had been introduced it would have been a disaster for Waterford and the entire south coast area.”
Mr Dempsey last night said the department’s post-tender negotiations had shown that a major reduction could be achieved in the cost difference between a full 24-hour service at four bases and the “alternative option” which would reduce cover at “one of the bases” (Waterford) to 12 hours. “Under procurement rules, we must now inform the tendering companies of this development, and negotiation of the details of the contract will recommence in approximately two weeks time when a further standstill period has ended,” added Mr Dempsey.
He said it was “unfortunate” that some of the details of the tender were released before discussions had even commenced and this could have made legitimate post-tender discussion on the contract details more difficult.
Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey last night said the decision “is testament to the hard work of the people of the region during recent weeks”.
Mayor of Waterford Cllr John Halligan, said: “I would like to thank all the people in Waterford city and county, and all groups who planned to attend the meeting, for their hard work.”
