Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I have not changed my view on this issue. If anything, this action has strengthened my view. It is not a decision I can make on my own regarding specific areas. This option will have to be examined in a number of areas across a number of Departments. If this kind of disruption, and, as Deputy Broughan said, this disproportionate response to an industrial relations issue will be a feature of industrial relations in this country, every option will have to be examined. I and every Member of the House believes this is a disproportionate response. I will raise the matter in the first instance with my colleagues in Government.

On the matter of meeting representatives of the union, if they will not go to the Labour Court and use that machinery of the State I would not have much faith that they would decide to meet me. In other circumstances I am sure Deputies on all sides of House, but particularly those on the side represented by Deputy Broughan, would be the first to object if I was to interfere in the day-to-day operation of any of these companies. Access to the considerable machinery of the State is available to resolve difficulties and on the union side and management side it has worked fairly successfully. That is the route that should be followed in this case. It is a matter for both sides to do that.

The IAA has made an offer in inverted commas. That has been known since mid-day. It issued a statement at 12.15 p.m. today to the effect that it was prepared to do that. To my knowledge, there has not been any direct or indirect response by the union to that offer. As Deputy Broughan has acknowledged, and I thank him for doing so, we have been attending a committee meeting and I have not had an opportunity to be briefed since that meeting commenced at 2 p.m.

On the question of bringing in other air traffic controllers, there are 300 plus air traffic controllers and while some may be available this is not a route I would advocate pursuing. It would be entirely up to the IAA to decide if it wanted to go down this route but it is not one I would advocate at this stage. The best route to take would be to get both parties to go to the Labour Court and talk to each other. I agree with the other statements that were made and I have made a statement on this.

On the matter of the damage to our reputation caused by this action, I received a number of telephone calls, one from a person who has spent considerable time, which I know to be true, convincing investors to come into this country to maintain businesses and to create new ones. He has been successful in many cases. That person had arranged for more investors to come to this country today but had to tell them that they could not travel here because of the strike.

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