Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

As the national spatial strategy acknowledges, in practical terms regions overlap. West Tipperary has a close relationship with the Limerick and Shannon region in terms of employment and services. Several people from there are employed at Shannon, including Aer Lingus employees. There is also a wider interest common to all counties outside the metropolitan area in maintaining regional balance. During much of the 20th century the Shannon area was the prime area of economic development in the State, pioneering electricity generation, air transport, industrial development, tourism and a new, more technologically and Atlantic oriented third level institution.

Today, the Irish economy is vastly wealthier and more diversified but Dublin and the east coast have taken over as the prime economic locomotive. The Aer Lingus decision on the bank holiday weekend is a particularly blatant and deplorable jerk of the blanket towards the east coast. I have no time for a macho style of management that flouts Government policy, ignoring the State's continuing stake and the public interest.

Reluctantly in the Seanad, I supported the part privatisation of Aer Lingus. We came close to losing the airline in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, when some European companies did not survive. We understood wrongly that, apart from the transatlantic services, the Heathrow slots and connectivity, including Shannon, would be protected. This underlines the importance of how the small print is drafted.

The Shannon Airport Authority has been wrongly criticised for its special deal with Ryanair. Aer Lingus services have been cut down to three transatlantic services with connections to Dublin and the Heathrow flights. In contrast, as of last August, Aer Lingus services 58 British and European destinations from Dublin and 18 from Cork. Some 79% of passengers through the State airports in 2006 passed through Dublin Airport and vigorous policy initiatives are needed to spread the growth and stop it being concentrated in one airport with two or three terminals.

Once described as the national airline, it is doubtful if this applies any longer. In view of Aer Lingus's lack of interest in Shannon, outside of transatlantic services, the airport authority must quickly find other companies to fill the gap if economic confidence in the region as an industrial and service base is to be maintained.

As someone whose involvement in Northern Ireland policy began nearly 30 years ago in the field of North-South co-operation, I welcome Aer Lingus opening a hub in Belfast, something that would not have been possible in the 1980s unless heavily disguised. It is an exciting development but should have been achieved by a redistribution of slots without cutting out Shannon.

I am shocked by the simplistic and partitionist Opposition call to reverse the decision. It would cause a full-blown crisis in North-South relations.

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