Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The Deputy can rest assured in that regard. As I outlined in my initial answer, we have the 25.1% stake for two reasons, first, to ensure connectivity from through Heathrow Airport and retain access to the slots and, second, to ensure Aer Lingus is not taken over inappropriately by another airline. The Deputy will be aware that the European Commission ruled that Ryanair could not take over Aer Lingus. I am determined that we will still have competition and continue to have two significant airlines operating out of Ireland, not one. Any decision on the disposal of the stake must bear this in mind and retain the assurance that we will retain the slots at Heathrow Airport and that we will continue to have competition between at least two major airlines in the State.

The airline business is changing a good deal and there is consolidation in the sector. It is somewhat like the case of mobile phones. Throughout the world, even if different names are used, the companies involved are Vodafone, Telefónica and Hutchison. This is increasingly taking place in the airline industry. We have seen Air France and KLM come together as well as Lufthansa and BMI. British Airways has formed a strategic alliance also. In the longer term one will have to question where Aer Lingus will fit into this picture. Any disposal of a shareholding must include an assurance that the reasons we hold the shareholding in the first place will be assured, that there will continue to be competition among scheduled airlines in and out of Ireland and that we will not lose access to the crucial Heathrow Airport slots which give us connectivity to the rest of the world.

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