Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

It is much easier to be an historian than a forecaster and there are some good historians around. This was done in good faith and the unions were fully aware of this. I respect the unions because this was a difficult issue for them at the time, led by Paul Smith of SIPTU. I admired the unions for their practical and pragmatic approach. There was no question of any signed deal in this issue. It was done in good faith, given the assurances that this would sustain the position on the Irish Sea. If it was wrong, so be it.

I advocate State aid for the shipping sector, not sweetheart deals with any company. This is not exclusive to Ireland. The Commission advocates State aid whether it be a unique income tax allowance available to seafarers working at sea for 160 days a year. The tonnage tax is not in place only for Irish Ferries but for all involved in that business. We were asked many times about the PRSI of employers of seafarers and my predecessors had to go back to Europe but we have finally secured approval for that.

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