Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps that is the reason the Chamber is empty.

Having expressed my frustration I will be a tad cynical and say I am surprised the Government did not launch this as a new initiative to reduce youth emigration. In many ways that would be an ingenuous scheme. I am surprised the Government would not have enacted it sooner because what better way to stop people leaving our country than to sell off our national airline and put the future of connectivity from the island nation at risk? That is what we are doing here. Ireland needs connectivity. It is not just about the road network or the public transport service. Essentially, it is about flights into and out of the country. We are an island.

Unless the Government proposes to use the funds from the sale of its Aer Lingus shares to build a tunnel connecting us to mainland Europe and to the United States, there is no getting away from the fact that we have lost control of our connectivity. In the north west, where I live, the M4 is a good road for most of the way but the last 60 miles of it are poor. That has been an impact in terms of creating jobs in Sligo or Leitrim. I have spoken to the IDA and business people there who say that is for the want of investment in 60 miles of road. That is connectivity, but if we cannot get people into the country in the first place, we can forget about international investment.

The Government touts Ireland as the best small country in which to do business, which is a bold statement, and it requires infrastructure in key areas, such as broadband, electricity and education. A key reason for which people and businesses would choose to locate in Ireland is the fact that it is an easy place to get to and because in 20 to 50 years time it will still be an easy place to get to. I might be wrong, but I would be surprised if the CEOs of multinational companies were to use ferries or transatlantic boats as a means of getting to and from this country. If we are to hope to attract international companies to Ireland, we must be sure they are able to operate in a global market from this island. They must be able to fly in and fly out of the country from multiple destinations. Although we are a relatively small country, due to our location we need that access. Without easy access, we will be unable to attract the full potential of international investment.

For some time, the Government has acted as if this were a done deal, a fait accompli. The Government did not decide just last night that the deal was to go ahead. The decision was made quite some time ago. However, it was necessary to have some document it would be able to put before the public and say it justified the deal. It is privatisation and is the same as the sell off-of State assets such as Bord Gáis and, possibly, Dublin Bus in the future. Can we trust the Government when it says it will not privatise Irish Water? Privatisation goes to the core of what the Government has aimed for during recent years. It is interesting to hear the Labour Party Members shouting about the Opposition in order to drown the voices of their consciences. Although they pretend to have fought the privatisation agenda, they have been laid down on the guillotine of privatisation and have abjectly surrendered to the major party, Fine Gael. I commend Deputy McNamara on his integrity on the issue. It took guts. However, while Labour Party Deputies have made grandiose speeches at their party conference about how they will oppose the privatisation agenda, when push comes to shove, they are the ones who are both pushed and shoved.

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