Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Will the Minister be more specific about Aer Lingus's needs? There is much talk of urgency in regard to access to equity but the chairman of the company is not in agreement in this regard. He is in the process of replacing the short haul fleet and is considering the question of long haul fleet replacement in the coming years, in which regard there are a number of options. Various figures have been quoted but has the Minister an estimate from the board of Aer Lingus regarding the company's capital requirement and the timescale over which such might be delivered? Has he carried out any type of serious examination of the different options available to Aer Lingus for meeting its needs? The Minister does not seem to be making a case for even the part-privatisation of the company.

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