Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Walsh and Mr. Griffin. It has been a while since Mr. Walsh was here with us and clearly his career has gained altitude since then and we wish him well with that. The concerns that I and others have expressed in recent weeks have been in response to industry sources, that is, people who are responsible for employing large numbers of people in Dublin, the mid-west and in the Cork region who are supported through foreign investment and who see connectivity and access to Heathrow - which provides access to a global network of cities - as being vitally important for retaining jobs. We also heard from representatives of the tourism sector and concerns were also expressed to us by Aer Lingus staff who are concerned about their employment prospects.

Mr. Walsh spoke about the positive aspects of this deal for Aer Lingus. What is in the deal for IAG? What are that company's expansion plans at Dublin, Cork and Shannon? Is IAG committed to retaining the British Airways and Aer Lingus slots at Heathrow which are currently providing access to Dublin? Is IAG further committed to retaining the slot access from Shannon and Cork? Mr. Walsh said in his presentation that the issue is Ireland's slots into Heathrow, rather than slots designated to the three airports. I ask him to clarify that point.

Mr. Walsh also spoke on the "Today with Seán O'Rourke" radio programme this morning about some job losses and I ask him to quantify those and clarify where they might occur. On the same programme, he also spoke about giving cast-iron guarantees and I assume that was in response to the Taoiseach's remarks approximately two weeks ago where he said that the Government would need cast-iron guarantees around connectivity and other issues. Mr. Walsh went further today when he said that not alone would they be cast-iron, but they would be set in concrete as well. That is critical for all of us; it is certainly critical for me. However, when Mr. Walsh says that he has smart lawyers preparing this, that concerns me greatly. These are IAG lawyers and I would much prefer to hear the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe or the Taoiseach saying that they have smart lawyers who could stand over the kinds of guarantees and assurances that would need to be put in place. Mr. Walsh does not give me any sense of security because it is his lawyers who are providing the information. I would welcome any further information from Mr. Walsh which would help us to understand more definitively and clearly how those guarantees might be put in place and how they might be litigated at a later stage in the event that IAG changes ownership. Qatar Airways, for example, currently owns 10% of IAG but what happens if it decides to take over the entire company?

Mr. Walsh also said this morning that there would be changes to the articles of association or the memorandum of understanding of the company.

If they can be changed in this instance, I assumed they could be changed at a later stage by chairmanship. Finally, could Mr. Walsh talk to us a little about how he could achieve all he wants to without owning the State's 25% shareholding? Could a strategic alliance be developed that would allow IAG to share the potential benefits Mr. Walsh sees in acquiring a stake in Aer Lingus and that would allow Aer Lingus to benefit from its association with IAG without a share transfer from the State? Is there an arrangement that would give the State continued representation on the board, thereby retaining some level of control in respect of the operation of the company?