Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Having landed ourselves in this situation, what do we do? I would have spent the money on primary schools, I would have repaired the pension fund, built nursing homes and funded hospitals. It is for these things that there is a real need. Calling it connectivity, with the kind of transport policy we have and the lack of expertise in the Department of Transport - which landed us in this situation - makes no sense at all. It has been a retrograde decision and against public opinion. Connectivity without an airline is a contradiction in terms. I will vote against it when it comes to the Seanad. I have voted against it in the Seanad at all times because I think it was an extremely short-sighted decision. The Government seemed to panic.

The committee asked - in the event the Department of Transport had anything to contribute at this stage - for the studies to be placed in the Oireachtas Library. A single-page document, with typing on both sides is all that appeared. So where was the expertise from Credit Suisse and the Investment Bank of Ireland that informed this sale? It did not face public scrutiny and that is wrong.