Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The Minister will be aware that the outgoing CEO, Mr. Collier, announced on 15 November, almost two months ago, his retention to resign. I am concerned about the length of time it has taken to begin the process of recruiting a new CEO. The Minister is correct to state advertisements have been prepared. However, I am not sure whether these have yet appeared. If they have done so, it was only in recent days. While the Minister does not have a function in the appointment of the chief executive officer, he does have a function in the appointment of the chairman. Has a tardy approach been taken to appointing a new CEO because there has not been a chairman in place since last May? The previous chairman, Mr. Dilger, resigned in April. I understand his contract ended or that he terminated his employment on or about 31 May last. It took until November for the Minister to approach the chairman designate who came before the Joint Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht this week. While the individual in question is an excellent candidate and would be very good for Dublin Airport, he has limited, if any, experience in the airline sector. That creates a problem for the DAA because in the coming months, following the departure of Mr. Collier, there will be a period during which a CEO will not be in place. The chairman designate has indicated that it will take approximately nine months to appoint a new CEO. During that period the authority will be run by a chairman who has little or no experience in the day-to-day running of an airport. The chairman designate is being placed in a difficult position and our airport infrastructure is being put in a perilous position. Why did it take so long to appoint a new chairman?

See this speech in context