James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I must interrupt because I am conscious of the clock. Mr. Geoghegan said this recovery will be demand-led. I commend the hard work of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who has done fabulous work in getting €90 million in supports for the aviation sector. Route supports were very much part of what the Government was hoping to do, in conjunction with permission hopefully being granted by the EU Commission. Would it not be better to keep charges as low as possible, unlike what is happening in airports in the UK, in order to stimulate demand over the course of the next two or three years to get us back to a healthier position where connectivity is protected? I am not trying to undermine the DAA's argument. I know it has extraordinary costs. I can only speak on behalf of myself and my colleagues but we will support the authority in any way we can. Would it not be counter-intuitive to increase the airport charges by a drastic amount in an era when, as Mr. Geoghegan said, we are expecting the airlines to pursue a demand-led recovery?