Oireachtas to examine €3m purchase of helicopters

The purchase of Army helicopters that cannot carry passengers is to be examined by an Oireachtas committee today.

The choppers were specifically bought for the EUFOR mission to Chad at a cost of €3m.

A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General has already found that there was a failure to follow proper procurement guidelines and that authorisation limits were breached.

The secretary general of the Department of Defence will face a grilling on the issue by members of the Public Accounts Committee today.