Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The bottom line is that almost 1,200 people lost their jobs in a business that was viable. I acknowledge that certain issues had to be addressed and overcome and there was a necessity for modernisation. Everybody accepted that at the time. The maintenance and servicing of aircraft is a viable business but we have lost it. The Government lost it last April and it had ten months to conclude all the calm and rational discussion in which it is now offering to engage. That has not happened and 1,200 people have lost their jobs.

The Government failed to support and advance the proposal put forward by staff last year. The withdrawal by the DAA of hangar six was a key factor in undermining that proposal but the Government did not step in to prevent it from happening. On top of that, we now have a new proposal from Ryanair in respect of which 200 jobs have already been allowed to slip through the Government's fingers to Glasgow. It appears that until yesterday the Government was content to allow the remaining 300 jobs to slip through its fingers. It has made an unholy mess of this matter. These jobs should not have gone down the spout because they represent the kind of work which can be retained here.

It would be preferable had the Taoiseach acknowledged that the Government, the Tánaiste and Ministers made an absolute mess and then moved on rather than pretend that all kinds of complicated property arrangements are preventing them from acting. During an unemployment crisis, they should be moving mountains to ensure that two separate business proposals to provide and save perfectly viable jobs had Government support rather than the kind of hamfisted and negligent treatment they have received thus far. People are losing their jobs and businesses are suffering because of the ensuing drop in income for north and west Dublin in particular.

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