Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

The Minister's reply is very short and lacks detail. How will the pension shortfall of €120 million be made up in the event of the privatisation of Aer Lingus and how much does the Government propose to invest in the pensions? I ask this question in the context of Shannon Airport because I represent that area and I am very concerned about developments in it, particularly the gradual erosion of services in the airport by Aer Lingus in recent years. Does the Minister know how many direct flights Aer Lingus operates to the US out of Shannon Airport? He does not know.

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