Latest news with #CasementAerodrome
Irish Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on problems in the Air Corps: Ireland's no-fly zone
The shortage of air traffic controllers in the Air Corps , which threatens to curtail military operations, is the most extreme manifestation yet of the recruitment problems facing the Defence Forces. The move to five-day-a-week, day-time-only flying operations at Casement Aerodrome is of a piece with Naval Service vessels being tied up because of crew shortages and in some cases going on patrol without functioning main weapons. It also mirrors the difficulties experienced by the Army in meeting EU and UN commitments. Paradoxically, the State's need for a functioning Defence Force – and in particular an Air Corps and Naval Service – has probably not been greater since a state of emergency was declared during the second World War. Incursions into Irish air space and territorial waters are on the increase as east-west tensions escalate. The communication cables that criss-cross the Irish sea bed are seen to be both particularly vulnerable and uniquely important. A number of specific issues lie behind the shortage of air traffic controllers, as is the case with shortages of similarly key personnel in the Naval Service and Army. For air traffic controllers, it is the allure of work in the private sector for better pay and conditions. Controllers leaving for the public sector is not a new phenomenon but to date the rate of attrition has been sustainable. READ MORE This is no longer the case and the implications of reduced flying operations for Garda and air ambulance operations as well as the security of the State mandate action. There are a number of stop gap measures that can be put in place, such as retention payments which have been sought previously by the Defence Forces. But ultimately the issue of staff retention can only be addressed by making careers in the Defence Forces an attractive option. This is a about more than pay and conditions. It also includes culture and values. Until these deficits are addressed the Minister for Defence's vision of an expanded Air Corps which could ultimately operate modern fighter jets is the stuff of fantasy.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
State attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps chemical victims, Tánaiste says
The State Claims Agency (SCA) is attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps members who were exposed to dangerous chemicals during their work, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. It follows the conclusion of a landmark court case earlier this year in which a former Air Corps technician was awarded €2 million. In what was seen as a major test case, Gary Coll (51), from Lifford, Co Donegal, alleged his exposure to chemicals in the workshops of Casement Aerodrome caused him severe and lifelong health problems. Central to Mr Coll's claims was that he underwent 'tubbing', a form of hazing where workers were submerged in a bath of unspecified chemicals and oil. READ MORE On the opening day of the hearing last February the parties agreed a settlement that did not include any admission of responsibility by the State. Campaigners accused the State of dragging out the legal process for more than a decade. The case against the Department of Defence was the first of 10 personal injuries cases due before the courts relating to the exposure of Air Corps members to dangerous chemicals and solvents used in aircraft maintenance. Campaigners say there are many other Air Corps veterans who have died prematurely or suffered severe health problems in connection with their work. Now, Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Defence, has signalled the State is keen to settle the remaining cases. 'I want to see a resolution in this regard,' Mr Harris told the Dáil this week. 'I am advised there is currently active engagement between the State Claims Agency and litigants to determine if mutually agreeable resolutions can be found to their cases. 'I want to see that happen and I encourage the State Claims Agency to continue that approach, as I know it will. Trying to bring this issue to a resolution that works is important.' The Tánaiste said an engagement process with former Air Corps personnel is 'now genuinely under way' and that it should be allowed proceed 'to a point where there is an achievable outcome that is acceptable to all parties'. He also said the State may be willing to provide medical care to personnel exposed to chemicals even if it does not accept legal responsibility. 'I have made the point that, in the past, there have been other areas where even if the State did not accept liability, people did try to meet the health needs of those impacted,' Mr Harris told Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. 'I have asked that my officials continue to give thought to that issue and to keep me updated on the progress in relation to the State Claims Agency engagement and those further questions that I have asked it. Gavin Tobin, a former Air Corps technician, estimates there have been nearly 100 deaths that may have involved exposure to dangerous chemicals. He rejected Mr Harris's claim that the State is engaging with veterans and accused it of only coming to an agreement in Mr Coll's case at the 11th hour. 'A haggle on the corridors of the High Court where the State Claims Agency attempts to destroy reputations by calling injured personnel liars is not engagement,' said Mr Tobin who has been campaigning for years on the issue and who also suffers serious health issues. He accused the Government of 'using the might of the State to threaten financial ruin' on plaintiffs if they reject settlement offers. 'Threatening bankruptcy unless we accept settlement is not an engagement process,' he said. 'Nobody is engaging with us.' The issue of toxic chemicals exposure is also being examined by a judge-led tribunal established to examine how the Defence Forces dealt with allegations of misconduct within the organisation.
