Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister's statement of fact to the House. I accept that to an extent he is restricted in what he can say on the decision the Government will ultimately make. He has outlined the four areas it will consider. On three, if not four, headings it will find it impossible to accept the proposed offer by Ryanair. The first is a potential reduction in competition if the two airlines were to be owned by the one entity. That would represent bad value for the taxpayer in terms of the impact it would have on the capacity of the State to continue to offer low fares to the wider tourism and business sectors. From a regulatory point of view, the ensuing domination by one entity in controlling such a large volume of activity, across the Irish Sea in particular and into near European markets, would cause serious concern. This is an island nation which depends heavily on access not just to continental Europe but also to the wider world.

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