On 28 May of this year, I tabled a Private Members' motion on Ireland's search and rescue service. During the debate I raised a number of matters of great concern regarding the oversight and corporate governance of the current search and rescue, SAR, operator, CHC Ireland DAC.

The recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General has completely vindicated my concerns. The report points out that in 2013, the Department of Transport paid €4.3 million to CHC Helicopter, the current operator, to ensure that its five helicopters were equipped with night-vision capability. I am still trying to understand why the State funded a private company's conversion of its helicopters, but we will leave that for now. The report goes on to state that another €527,000 was paid in 2015, for 24 sets of night-vision goggles which, I understand, would remain the property of the Irish Coast Guard. Finally, the report advises that an initial payment of €1.7 million was made in 2018 in respect of training the crews of this private contractor in the use of the technology. This training only commenced in November 2019 and is expected to be completed sometime this year. Senators will note that the process started in 2013. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General points out that as of June 2021, only one of the search and rescue, SAR, bases has been approved by the Irish Aviation Authority to use night-vision technology. Service from that base has commenced, but it will be some time before all of the bases are able to operate in the same way. It is indeed poor value for money for this country.

Why does this disaster exercise me? In 2009, the Department of Transport and the Irish Coast Guard established the Future Helicopter Study Group, which reported on what would be required for the next SAR contract. In that report, they recommended night-vision technology, yet the contract went ahead without the inclusion of the requirement of night-vision technology. The real concern here is the total lack of oversight. I believe that it was only after the crash of Rescue 116 that any steps were taken to deal with the corporate governance issues at CHC Helicopter.

In 2017, after the crash of Rescue 116, the Department of Transport and the Irish Coast Guard sought a company to carry out the corporate governance and oversight that they were not capable of doing. The company chosen was a company called Aerossurance. It is a one-man company, which was only formed in 2014. In 2015, it published its first accounts. However, the accounts were not audited because the company was so small that it was not required. In 2017, when the company was awarded the contract to advise Ireland's Department of Transport and the Irish Coast Guard, the net assets of the company were €13,000 and €9,000 in cash in the bank. After the crash of Rescue 116, one would surely expect that a major consultancy firm would have been brought in.

I know the Senator is aware of the new Standing Orders that have been adopted.

I am a bit deaf, so you will have to speak up.

I wish to make the Senator aware of the Standing Orders that we introduced around the issue around defamation.

Everything I am putting out here is in the public domain.

I just want the Senator to be mindful of mentioning people who are not here to defend themselves.

I hate to say it, but I did not hear one word of what you said. I will have to plug myself in again.

Is that a defence in law?

I ask the Senator to be cautious regarding making people identifiable who are not here to defend themselves, as he is aware of the Standing Orders that were adopted by the House.

I am fully aware of that. I am not referring to an individual; I am referring to a company.

I know that, but the Senator has also made the person who is the sole director identifiable.

I did not name him.

I want the Senator to be aware.

Okay, moving on.

The next contract, the one to which I am now referring, was signed off at Cabinet at the last Cabinet meeting. The business case for that was put together by a company called KPMG, which is well known to us all. KPMG brought-----

I know I interrupted the Senator, but he is out of time. I suggest he puts this in as a Commencement matter.

Listen, a Chathaoirligh. I tried to get this through on a Private Members' motion. I came with a well-prepared piece and the reply that was given by the Department of Transport addressed none of my concerns. The tender is about to go out for SAR. The business case was put together with KPMG, advised by Frazer-Nash. The important thing here is that there are only three or four companies that can actually tender for Irish-----

I am not disagreeing with the Senator.

But Frazer-Nash is owned by one of them.

First of all, the Senator has a two-minute slot on the Order of Business.

I appreciate that; I was going as fast as I could.

Do we all get extra time?

The Senator deserves the extra time. Some things are important. We can sit back and pretend these things do not happen but they are happening.

Nobody will lecture me on what is important in this Chamber.

I will finish with this. We need the Minister in here to discuss search and rescue services and the forthcoming contract. We cannot allow a contract to go out while the report on Rescue 116 has not been published. The pilot of that helicopter had been awake for 18 hours when she was sent over to Blacksod. For God's sake-----

I appreciate this is an important issue and this is a forum for raising important issues but people get two minutes to contribute on the Order of Business. It impinges on others if Senators go over.

I appreciate that but we are here to hold the Government to account.

As I have said, the Senator can table a Commencement matter. There are also committees, such as the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. I know this issue has been brought up at that committee. I give a bit of latitude-----

I have failed to bring this issue up anywhere.

-----when the matter is important. This matter is important, as is everyone else's, but the Senator has to be careful about bringing the reputation of the House into-----

Four people are dead. I have tried to bring this up everywhere but nobody is interested.

I appreciate the Senator bringing it up because it is an important issue but he has to be careful of the rules of the House.