Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, who is unable to be present. He had hoped to take this matter but cannot because these matters are being taken earlier than planned.

The Pilot Training College Waterford, PTCW, is a privately owned and operated flight training college, and the company has a pilot training college in Melbourne, Florida. The Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, which comes under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, regulates, approves and oversees flight training organisations in Ireland. The lAA's primary functions in this regard are the oversight of the safety, quality and standard of the training being delivered, the conduct of examinations and flight tests. The Minister has been informed by the IAA that PTCW had a contract in place with the Florida Institute of Technology to deliver the flight training in Florida. Training is carried out in Florida to take advantage of the better weather for training in visual flight operations.

On 26 June, the IAA was notified that the Florida institute was ceasing all training activities for PTCW due to a commercial dispute between the two companies concerning payments. The IAA immediately sent a senior inspector to Florida to establish the training situation. It has been established that students have paid PTCW for training and PTCW has a commercial relationship with the Florida institute to provide flight and ground training, etc. However, the IAA has no role in the contracts between self-sponsored or airline-sponsored students and their training organisation.

The IAA has advised the Minister that at a meeting yesterday with representatives of PTCW, it sought evidence and assurances that sufficient funding was available in the company to continue operations in Waterford, given that the Florida operations have ceased. Representatives of PTCW informed the IAA that they were investigating restructuring options but that this process could take approximately ten days to complete. On foot of this information, the IAA immediately suspended the flight training approval for PTCW.

The IAA is committed to re-engaging with any proposals emerging from the restructuring process that PTCW has informed it will commence, but in the interim, training in Waterford has been suspended. The IAA has assured the Minister that it will make every effort to ensure all training conducted to date in Waterford and Florida will be credited to the training records of the affected students. Representatives of PTCW have informed the IAA that they will endeavour to mitigate any losses suffered by students as part of the restructuring process, and both the Minister and the IAA hope a satisfactory outcome can be achieved to enable students to complete their training. The IAA continues to assist in every way possible, including directing students to alternative providers.

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