Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply although he has not added anything to our knowledge. While I understand the issues around takeover rules, it would be possible for the Minister to outline to the House the kind of assurances he has sought. I understand he was seeking assurances on particular areas but I am interested in the nature and detail of those assurances. I am concerned that in the context of any contract that the Minister might enter into based on assurances given by IAG, the only remedy in the event of a breach by IAG of those assurances would be sought through the courts. As I have said before, the likely outcome of such proceedings if a breach was found to have happened would be that State might receive some financial compensation. While that might benefit the State in some way, the loss of access to Heathrow for locations like Shannon and Cork could not be compensated for financially. Furthermore, it is unlikely that it would be open to the courts to insist on the retention or recovery of access to Heathrow. That is why it is extremely important for the Minister to put before the House the nature of the assurances sought and the mechanism he intends to put in place to deal with the fallout in the event of there being a breach of such assurances and a failure to comply with any contractual arrangements that might be entered into.

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