Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I wish to share time with Deputy Shortall.

The Minister for Transport must come clean on when his Department was informed that SR Technics planned to pull out of its Dublin Airport operation. On the basis of meetings held between the Oireachtas transport committee, the SR Technics workforce and local management and the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, in recent days, it is clear the Department of Transport was aware that SR Technics was leaving Dublin from early November 2008.

At that time the company's corporate management approached the DAA to negotiate the sale back to the authority of the leases on the six hangars and 34 acres of the SRT facility at Dublin Airport. The lease on hangars 1 to 5 was to run to 2059 and the lease on the large hangar 6 was to conclude in 2060. The authority refused to disclose to the Oireachtas transport committee the value of buying back the leases, citing a confidentiality contract with the company. DAA management, however, rightly decided to protect the ownership of key national assets and carried out its duty to inform the Department of the proposed return of the leases and the departure of SRT with the loss of almost 1,200 jobs.

Earlier, on the Order of Business, I asked the Taoiseach when the Minister for Transport reported to him and the Cabinet that SR Technics was leaving. I also asked him what measures were taken almost five months ago to protect the 1,200 jobs and make arrangements, if necessary, to request the IDA to prepare to replace the company with a successor aviation engineering company. The Taoiseach failed to respond but it is now obvious the Minister for Transport has serious questions to answer on this matter. The DAA also told me and my colleague Senator Brendan Ryan, and other colleagues from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, last week that the State enterprise would not be found wanting in "supporting any measures to continue the SRT operation by any interested party". While this view is welcome the Minister should comment on some issues connected with the leases. Is it the case, for example, that Ryanair and Aer Lingus have different types of liens or restrictions on at least two of the hangars concerned, given their line maintenance operations in the airport? The Departments of Transport and Enterprise, Trade and Employment could and should have addressed the appalling redundancy and pension terms now facing SR Technics workers much earlier, especially if the Minister for Transport knew of SR Technics' intentions more than five months ago. Why did the Minister for Transport and the Government not ensure that all funding released from the DAA, confidentiality clause or not, be included in redundancies and pension funds?

The ball is in the court of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Taoiseach, and the Minister for Transport. These Ministers must come into the Dáil and explain where exactly is the IDA's evaluation of the expressions of interest and what stage they have reached in moves to protect the entitlements of the SR Technics workforce, their jobs, and if necessary, to install a successor business.

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