Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I listened to the Minister speak about this being bad for tourism, but does he accept that it is also bad for commuters, Aer Lingus workers, the economy and employers who must get their products to the market? Does the Minister also accept that sharks or venture capitalists entering Aer Lingus was probably an inevitability?

What was the rush to sell Aer Lingus at this time? In recent years, the company was doing well and making a good profit. The Minister keeps talking about what Aer Lingus will face and how we could have entered a situation where the State began losing money, but, as an outsider looking in, the company was doing extremely well, expanding and making a profit. Does the Minister know how the workers of Aer Lingus feel today? Does he accept that they feel let down by the Government? Clearly, they have been let down.

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