Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

-----which involved having to provide some of the capital for the project by forgoing redundancy payments. Unfortunately, that did not provide the financial mix which would allow it to proceed, despite everyone's best efforts. I acknowledge those efforts but it is not just a question of knocking heads together and finding that a project is viable. A viable commercial project was proposed by people in that operation and Dublin Aerospace and it was supported by the Tánaiste, the IDA and all the agencies to the point where we have got it up and running. It will develop in due course and, I hope, increase its trade and capacity in the coming months and years. There was an outcome, therefore, albeit not one which involves the same number of jobs.

The other proposal considered by the Tánaiste and support agencies at the time was the Ryanair project, which came with conditions regarding hangar six. Deputy Gilmore referred to the fact that ownership of the hangar reverted to the DAA from SR Technics. As he will be aware, it was previously a TEAM Aer Lingus building. There was a retention of interest by Aer Lingus in the building and, as part of the arrangement to deal with legal issues and problems that had arisen in respect of ownership so as to provide a facility in due course and get over the post-SR Technics problem, a 20-year licence was issued to Aer Lingus in consideration of its continuing interest in the building. Aer Lingus states that its commercial requirements include the hangar for the purpose of line maintenance, in which regard former employees of SR Technics are involved in some of the ongoing aircraft maintenance in addition to what Shannon Aerospace is doing.

The questions also arise of how we can deal with the Ryanair project and whether we can find another viable way to proceed. It seems to me that the idea that it can only proceed on the basis of hangar six needs to be further explored given that Ryanair has dealt with the DAA regarding other activities in hangars one and two. We need to calmly and rationally discuss how a further 300 or 400 jobs can be created from the Ryanair project in due course by locating it at Dublin Airport, while recognising the issues that arise in regard to Aer Lingus's interest in and plans for the property.

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