Mr. Willie Walsh:

I agree with the Deputy that the brand is incredibly strong. That is why we are attracted to it. We are unique in the industry in that we enable brands to continue to operate side by side unlike other airline groups where there is a dominant airline. The Lufthansa group is dominated and owned by Lufthansa while Air France KLM is owned by Air France. IAG is controlled by IAG; it is not controlled by BA, Iberia or Vueling. The influence, therefore, rests with the individual operating company. Aer Lingus fits perfectly into that structure because it is a strong brand, which we believe can be developed, particularly in the context of transatlantic. It is a profitable company that has gone through restructuring but it can be more efficient. It is not covering its cost of capital and it faces significant expense in respect of the fleet plans it has. It is a good company and its profitability and margins are improving. We will respect the work that has been done. Our proposal is based on receiving an irrevocable commitment from both the Government and Ryanair to sell their shares to IAG for this to proceed.