Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I agree with her that this is a source of huge anxiety for many people who have looked forward to their summer holiday and have scrimped and saved for family holidays, holidays with friends, weddings or other family occasions abroad and, as she said, people who are planning to come home. I am also conscious of our hospitality industry, in particular, which has endured so much disruption in recent times and which must despair at the thought of further disruption.

The Minister is quite correct that the only way this can be sorted out is for all parties to come around the table in a spirit of goodwill and a willingness to arrive at a conclusion. However, I am unclear what the Government is proposing to do. It is not sufficient to simply sit back, cross your fingers and hope that is the outcome. If the parties are not of their own volition coming to the table for talks, then it is appropriate for the Government to bring Aer Lingus and the pilots together.

It is absolutely essential that we sort this out. The Government has a week. I ask the Government not to simply stand back and rely on the industrial machinery of the State, which of course must be engaged and has been engaged on multiple occasions. The Government now needs to be more assertive than that and become a broker and a positive influence in sorting this out to bring relief to everybody who wants to have a smooth and indeed prosperous summer.

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