Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is a bit of an old record from Deputy Troy, telling me I have got to meet this, that and the other person. The Deputy is fishing out there. I have met the chief executives of any airlines whom I have wanted to meet or who have wanted to meet me. There is no problem about that whatsoever. I am continuously doing this. I had a meeting with a group of all the major airlines in the country not very long ago. I have met the heads of Ryanair and Aer Lingus and have met the head of the DAA on several occasions. Sometimes they want to raise this subject and sometimes they do not. I meet them whenever they want to meet me. The Deputy should talk to them and ask them. My door is open for them. They do not want to meet me every day either. They do not want me ringing them up every day about this, that and the other. They have got business to do which is apart from Government, which is what I do.

On the issue of the industry being worried about a slowdown, I do not get that vibe. I do not know where the Deputy is getting that from. There have been difficulties which the Deputy has certainly rightly pointed out in this House. There have been delays, which have been very difficult to stomach for any party involved. It is something we have now remedied. We remedied that delay by appointing Fingal County Council fairly speedily after we got the information that the IAA was conflicted. Very soon after that we did actually appoint another competent authority. We did not want to do so with undue speed because this is too important an appointment to do without forensic examination of the possible candidates. We could have appointed someone else but the Deputy would have said that was a mistake. Fingal will do this job properly. It has been selected on a meticulous, prudent and careful basis.

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