Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his response. Why could we not get much more precise figures on the number of Irish travellers stranded abroad than either the Minister or one of his officials gave us this afternoon? We were given a figure of 20,000 to 30,000 but was it not possible to obtain more precise information from companies such as Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Aer Arann? Has the Minister been in contact with other EU governments, including the UK, regarding that matter?

I am glad to hear the Minister's announcement concerning Fáilte Ireland. My colleague, Deputy Mary Upton, sought such a facility for passengers stranded here but what about the performance of the airlines themselves? As the Minister knows, serious complaints have been made on Joe Duffy's "Liveline" show and other programmes about the difficulty of contacting Aer Lingus and Ryanair. People in Spain and other European countries have said that the two main Irish airlines did not want to know.

The EU Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, says that EU passenger rights continue to apply in these circumstances, including the right to receive information from airlines, as well as the right to care, refreshment, meals and accommodation, as appropriate, and the right to choose between reimbursement or being re-routed. Those are the rights that passengers have, yet it seems that the two main Irish airlines have not behaved well in this regard. Is that the Minister's experience and, if so, does he have any message for Aer Lingus and Ryanair?

I also welcome the announcement by Ulster Bank that it is providing credit facilities for our people who are stranded abroad. Has the Minister had any contact with the Minister for Finance, the Central Bank and the other main banks to ask if they will emulate Ulster Bank's example?

Why did it take five days for the Minister and the other EU transport ministers to have a video conference on this matter? Why did they not act on Friday or Saturday? While it is a natural disaster, it would have been useful if transport ministers had an earlier video conference with the EU Transport Commissioner. Will the Minister have ongoing meetings with his EU counterparts now?

Despite what the Minister said about the three zones, can he provide more details on the No-fly, Buffer and Third zones? How many miles wide are they?

There has been some criticism of the scientific advice by a Dutch MEP, Peter van Dalen. He said that the original ban was far too rigid. We have had experience in the Far East, including the Pacific, and North America, including Alaska, of aircraft having to cope with volcanic ash. Mr. van Dalen and some other MEPs believe that the original response was too rigid. We should have had more detailed meetings and a quicker recourse to international scientific advice to see if a partial reopening of airspace was possible.

Yesterday, President Grimsson of Iceland said that if the big volcano beside Eyjafjallajökull, called Katla, blows we will have to consider other forms of transport than aviation. What is the Minister's estimate of the economic damage to Irish airports, airlines and other companies operating out of airports? When all this is over, will there be any ongoing thinking in the Department about how important maritime and rail links are to this country?

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