Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

It was evident in the first week of this controversy, from the statements made publicly, that Aer Lingus was set on a course from which it would not deviate. That is certainly the response I got from the company.

I investigated the possibility of the State acquiring Heathrow slots to replace the Aer Lingus service. I was informed that this was not legally possible. It is not open to the State to acquire slots as the applicable rules allow only for slots to be assigned to airlines. I also investigated the option of providing funding to assist in acquiring such slots, but again this or any other form of direct subvention of a London Heathrow slot is constrained by the state aid rules. Once this became clear, it was incumbent on everybody to move on and focus on securing a replacement for the Aer Lingus service as quickly as possible. That has been my focus and the focus of the Government's and Shannon Airport Authority's efforts since then.

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