Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

What is Government policy on this issue and how does it impact on the board members nominated by the Minister? If the Government were to decide to accept this offer, would the Minister be in a position to instruct his nominees on the board to do so or are they separate to and independent of his policy decision?

On 1 December, the Minister said there were two key issues. He did not include competition today. What is his view on competition? Would it be bad for consumers if there was only one airline option in Ireland, in other words, if Aer Lingus and Ryanair were part of the one fleet and under the same ownership?

Does the Minister consider that the recent Ryanair offer, which is much less than a previous offer, is bad for the taxpayer in the context of the Government investment in Aer Lingus? The key point is that on 1 December the Minister said the Government's shareholding was being held, in particular, to prevent hostile bids or takeovers. Can he define what he means by a "hostile bid"?

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