Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Towey for the update. I raise the issue of the type of aviation industry the IAA will be regulating in the future. In Mr. Towey's position, does he have concerns about the future of the aviation sector? To what degree is he concerned about the decisions of Aer Lingus and Ryanair, which seem to be strategic ones? In the last 24 to 48 hours I have been contacted by scores of staff regarding moves towards the North, moves to Manchester and redundancies of ground staff. Does Mr. Towey share those workers' concerns about the future of the Irish aviation sector, which the IAA will be regulating? Has the Department met with the airlines or union representatives from the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association, IALPA, Fórsa, SIPTU, Connect Trade Union or other unions? What proposals are there at a departmental level to recover the aviation sector? For example, will a task force be re-established?