Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I accept the Minister is not present because business moved a bit more quickly than anticipated. I asked a number of questions and I am sure the Minister of State will communicate those to the Minister for Transport in order that I can get a direct reply. I am not for a moment suggesting the IAA has not done everything possible, and the reality is the IAA's role is principally about regulation. For that reason, the reply given by the Minister of State relates largely to that body.

The issue is not that the students should be directed to alternative providers. That would be fine if they could come up with the wherewithal to pay for it. As far as I am concerned, the Government should step in and deal with the affected students. I accept this is a private concern but, unfortunately, independent students have committed a large amount of resources to what they expected to be a State-regulated company. Generally when there is such regulation, there is an expectation that a course would meet a particular standard, not just in accreditation and the ability to teach but also in the viability of its future. There seems to be some clear gap in the regulatory process if a company like this is not bonded or does not retain student fees in an escrow account or similar format to ensure that what is paid for can ultimately be delivered.

There is work to be done by the Government to ensure this does not happen again and that any other flight school does not suffer the same fate. Students have found themselves caught in the middle and the State should step in to provide the necessary resources or, with the assistance of another flight school, see that the students get their training without any further expense.

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