Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I propose to share my time with Deputy Tommy Broughan. Amendment No. 2 states:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"—conscious of the very serious implications for employment, business and tourism in the mid west and western regions of the decision of Aer Lingus to end its Shannon to Heathrow air service;

—noting the strong opposition to the move expressed by employers, trade unions and public representatives;

—recalling the commitments the Government gave prior to privatisation of Aer Lingus that it would take adequate steps to protect the state's key strategic interests and that in particular it would ensure sufficient services between the state airports and Heathrow to allow passengers connect throughout the course of the day with key long haul destination flights to and from Heathrow';

—calls on Aer Lingus to reverse its decision; and

—further calls on the Government to honour the commitments it gave to the Dáil and the public prior to privatisation of Aer Lingus and to take all appropriate steps to ensure that the Shannon-Heathrow Aer Lingus service is maintained, including, if necessary, the convening of an extraordinary general meeting of the company."

This is the first opportunity we have had to address this issue on the floor of the Dáil. I want, first, to pay tribute to all of the people from the west and the mid-west who came here yesterday to show their support for the Opposition and their clear determination to have a reversal of this decision, and to those who came again today and are in the Visitors Gallery.

In regard to the Minister's speech, the Government's extreme disappointment is of no use to those people. I have never heard such a mealy-mouthed, hypocritical, hand-wringing abdication of responsibility. The buck stops with the Minister. It is inconceivable that the Minister could have held a 25% share in the company and said what he said both when the announcement was made and in the House today. I speak also to the Deputies sitting behind the Minister and those who are not present. Those Deputies from the mid-west and the west fulminated on the airwaves. They fell over each other to get to the microphones and the representatives of the press who, incidentally, are not here today. They were lion-hearted leaders of their communities six weeks ago. I wonder what they will do today.

Where is my colleague the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, who could not wait to get back from his holidays to attack Dermot Mannion as a latter-day Cromwell, who could not wait to run down the steps here last night to defend his Taoiseach and his Government? Why is he not here standing up for his people?

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