Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for its courtesy in allowing me to speak. I would endorse the comments of Deputies Mac Lochlainn and McHugh and I do not wish to repeat them.

Undoubtedly, the State has failed in providing adequate protection for those who took up places on this course. As has been outlined, overall through the IAA, the Department of Transport, the education system and Enterprise Ireland, we failed to ensure there were adequate protections to prevent something like this occurring. As we have seen, we should have learned the lessons of the previous instance. We can spend time now trying to ensure a recurrence is prevented. I also endorse the suggestion that this be referred to the Director of Corporate Enforcement.

The nub of the argument relates to those students who have been left high and dry. Many of them are left with loans and without the ability to find funding to continue their training. We failed to provide them adequate protection, which means we need to find a solution that can assist them in moving on. Many of them saved to undertake this course. Many took out loans which they are now paying back without ever getting the training. They have been left with no way forward. Their situation is urgent. It is not something on which we can dwell for very long.

We have all been in contact with the various Departments. We also have been in contact with the IAA. So far, no solution has been found for those involved. There is nothing obvious. I would ask the IAA to find a solution that can allow these students to complete their training, and I call on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, to take the lead in that. The students must do so within a particular timeframe to avoid the training they have undergone needing to be taken again. We do not have the liberty of time to dwell on that. Ensuring we do not repeat the mistakes that were made in this situation will not assist the students either. While I call on the Minister and the IAA to engage with each other, perhaps the IAA would respond by outlining here what type of solution we can offer to those students to allow them to finish their training course.