Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I asked when does the Minister propose to end the uncertainty and speculation surrounding the future of Aer Lingus, to which he did not respond. Does he accept that Aer Lingus is not an airline in crisis? Does he accept it is a State asset, not a State liability and, if so, that selling off the airline does not make sense?

The only beneficiaries of the privatisation of the airline will be a small number of wealthy friends of the Government. The State needs an airline which is dedicated to the needs of our island economy. We need a cargo carrier of which there are very few left. It is vital to our island economy to have such a service. Taxpayers' money is being invested in other airlines around the world through the pension reserve fund, yet Aer Lingus is not getting the proper investment. Has the Minister a view on the whole concept of a State holding company as an alternative way forward for Aer Lingus? Has research been done in this regard? Perhaps this could be the way forward rather than selling off the airline to a few select friends and not going in the direction desired by the people. While we need a national airline that operates successfully, the Minister's proposals will mean that a coterie of friends of the Government will benefit from the privatisation of the airline and not the Irish people as a whole.

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