Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

It is our intention that the new State company will have no net debt. It will either be debt free or it will have a small amount of debt equal to its cash reserves. It may be important for the company to have cash reserves if it needs to make capital investments or absorb losses in its initial years. The reason it will be debt free is to recognise Shannon's contribution to the establishment of Aer Rianta International. The latter will remain part of the DAA group, which will be renamed to reflect its new mandate.

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