Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I confirm I am in the Leinster House complex. I thank Mr. Spratt for his overview of the works ongoing in the Department. It is a pity the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, could not be present but his reasons were legitimate. Today is a serious day on the Covid front in terms of decision making.

Last week, there was a regrettable fiasco involving the appointment of a new chair for the Shannon Group plc. Aaron Ford had been declared the preferred candidate but three hours later his candidacy was withdraw for reasons known to all of us here. What is the Department's plan to recommence the process to appoint a chair for the group? Is it looking at the candidate who was placed second in the original process or is it going to open things up again? I suggest the Department slows down, ever so slightly, and talks to some of the elected members here, to the chamber of commerce and to people who understand and have a passion for aviation and the industry in the mid west. My preference is that the Department would engage with us at that level and get a grasp of the type of individual we, in the mid west, would like to see at the helm of the Shannon Group. Can Mr. Spratt outline how he and his colleagues in the Department see this matter?