Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will agree to disagree on that. A rail link to Dublin Airport from the city centre is something we should put in place because it can happen with speed and haste, whereas we have waited 20 years for the metro and nothing has happened. Even if we started it tomorrow, it would be at least another ten years before we would see it in place. That is an issue we can come back to.

Another issue I raise with the Minister is the severance packages paid out to workers over the past number of years by Dublin Airport Authority, DAA. The figure is very high. A total of €56 million in redundancy and severance packages was paid out to staff. The average was €320,000 to €370,000 per person. While I absolutely accept people should be paid well and looked after properly with pensions and severance packages where necessary, some of this seems excessive. Will the Minister make a comment on what Government's position is on this? While DAA has a job to do, we are talking here about investment and these sort of very high payouts certainly fly in the face of what people would see the Government standing over.

See this speech in context