Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 46 together.

The Government is anxious that as many jobs as possible be secured at Dublin Airport. We would like to see the SR Technics Group do what it can to facilitate this, such as helping to promote the capabilities and skills available at the Dublin facility, agreeing to an orderly wind down of the facility to give IDA Ireland an opportunity to promote the location to interested parties and maintaining assets and equipment at the site for at least six months. I have conveyed these points, and the widespread concern that every effort be made to maintain the maximum number of jobs at the facility at Dublin Airport, to SR Technics at group level.

IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, EI, have formed a project team to promote the operation through the IDA overseas network of offices and to meet with and assess expressions of interest. A number of parties have expressed interest in acquiring at least elements of the business and both IDA Ireland and EI are exploring options with them. IDA Ireland and EI are continuing to examine proposals. Actual involvement by both in providing financial or other supports will be dependent on a company or companies submitting commercially viable proposals for consideration and seeking approval for State support in the normal way.

Regulatory responsibility for the oversight of pensions funding is the responsibility of the Pensions Board under the auspices of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The Government is conscious of the pressures on scheme trustees and employers sponsoring pension schemes arising from the significant losses incurred by pension funds in the past year. While measures were announced last December to ease the funding pressures on pension schemes, the Government is considering a comprehensive framework for future pensions to set out a new model that will aim to secure the future of social welfare, private, occupational and public service pensions.

The services of the State's industrial relations machinery have been made available to assist in resolving the issues in dispute. All-day conciliation talks were held in the Labour Relations Commission on Tuesday, 24 March. However, a resolution to the issues in dispute could not be agreed and the issues involved were referred to the Labour Court. A Labour Court hearing was held on the morning of Monday, 30 March, and the court issued its recommendation yesterday. I understand this covers increased ex gratia redundancy payments and full funding of the pension schemes by the company. I hope the recommendation will be accepted by all parties to the dispute.

It should be recalled that the State provides free of charge the industrial relations dispute settlement machinery to assist this process which, in line with the general principles of industrial relations in Ireland, is voluntary in nature. Responsibility for the resolution of trade disputes is a matter for the parties involved.

The State agencies will continue to engage with all groups, indigenous and overseas, interested in building commercially viable and sustainable operations to secure as many of the jobs as possible at Dublin Airport.

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