Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy knows, the senior officials group has put forward a programme, on which we are working, to address the obvious implications for Shannon, and the Government admits there are implications. Those implications have perhaps, at times, been broadened out in a way with which we do not agree but there are negative impacts for tourism and business people wishing to travel. We have published the report of the senior officials group, on which we all worked, and we will endeavour to do all we can to ensure connectivity for the business people in Shannon. The commercial decision, however, has been made and while protections are afforded to the Government by its shareholding, those protections do not extend to its forcing Aer Lingus to make a decision it believes is not in its interest.

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