Fishing industry organisations have criticised the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, for his decision to pull the Air Corps out of search and rescue.
The Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (KFO) said it seemed the Minister was basing his decision on cost rather than on concern for fishermen's lives.
The Irish Fish Producers' Organisation (IFPO) said it was a "very regressive" step given the role which Air Corps crews had played in search and rescue off the Irish coast for 40 years.
The Minister cited concern for fishermen's lives yesterday in justifying the decision to pull the Air Corps out of the north-west, the only base that the defence wing retains in the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue network.
Mr Smith said he had been informed that CHC, the company which provides medium-range search and rescue to the Irish Coast Guard on the east, south-east and west coasts, could take over the north-west base at the end of January on a 12-hour basis. This would be upgraded to 24-hour cover by March.
The Minister referred on RTÉ Radio's News at One yesterday to a "variety" of problems within the Air Corps over the last few months, and an incidence of "blue flu" at the north-west base.
Last October, 17 winching staff were informed that they were being redeployed from the north-west after a substantial proportion of staff reported in sick during the summer. PDFORRA, which had been handling a pay claim for the winching crews, attributed the incidence of illness to a "hostile and difficult working environment, with harassment and related stress".
One of the 17 staff remained in Sligo, and the Air Corps trained up a second winchman to provide limited cover. The Irish Coast Guard also put in a contingency arrangement, and its director, Capt Liam Kirwan, said he had no plans to put in a temporary relief helicopter with full winching capability as he felt that would exacerbate tensions within the Air Corps.
The 10 Air Corps pilots who moved to Sligo had hoped to have enough new winchmen trained to provide full daylight cover by April 2004, and full 24-hour cover by the end of the 2004. The Minister said yesterday that he had been informed by military authorities that the full cover could not be safely provided until March 2005.
Mr Sean O'Donoghue, of the KFO, said Air Corps personnel had "put their lives on the line" for members of his organisation over the years. "We had expressed concerns about the situation in the north-west when cover was reduced, but it is very sad now that this decision is being made. We would question whether this is about cutting costs, and we would be concerned to see that the full cover is delivered upon."
The Department of Defence had leased a Sikorsky S-61 for the north-west, costing €16 million over three years, pending purchase of new aircraft for search and rescue. It is expected that savings from the north-west operation and the sale of the current Alouette, Dauphin and Gazellle aircraft will be used to fund a new fleet of light helicopters.
