Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is the point I am making and Mr. Cullen has given me an extra example of it. I am taken by the fact that IALPA is a very professional outfit, representing pretty much every Irish airline pilot based in the State who number, 1,200 or thereabouts, as was referenced. They are very qualified professional people who have gone through a long period of training and do ongoing training. It is terrible if a suicide occurs anywhere but it can have tragic consequences, as we from an airline pilot perhaps doing it in the Germanwings incident. Nobody will ever take his or her life when in a clear state of mind. It is not something anyone would ever do in a clear state of mind, it happens when a person no doubt has many mental health challenges and so on.

I find it worrying the Department is not as willing to listen. I raised issues previously about maps. In a letter I received in response reference was made to some of the points I made, which we did not get to touch on. I hope to get back to the meeting from the presentation if I can to discuss the safety teams and IAA security aspects, on which we have not touched. The witnesses have given me the impression, and they can clarify if I am wrong on this, that the IALPA more wants to be the regulator than the regulator. I take it from the legislation the witnesses do not have a problem with the air navigation element but rather with the new reconstituted IAA. The air navigation base will go off and do its own thing and take most of the IAA staff and revenue, but it is the IAA regulatory element with which they have a problem. The IALPA has a problem with the fact that, from its perspective, the regulations do not go far enough to look after the safety initially of its members and, ultimately, the travelling public and but not only the travelling public given that as we saw in Lockerbie and other places, unfortunately and sadly, aviation disasters can affect people on the ground who have never been in a plane in their lives.