Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The response of the Government cannot be just to outline the history of this dispute. We know what has happened and how many times the dispute has been to third parties, but it has not been resolved and the pilots are ready to take industrial action. People who have worked hard and paid for their holidays now face the prospect of no flights. The Tánaiste referred to them exercising their consumer rights by invoking the EU regulation but it should not be allowed to get to that stage. They should not have to tell their kids they will not be able to go away. I asked the Tánaiste very directly what the Government was prepared to do and the answer I got was that it was prepared only to list what has happened and take a hands-off approach.

As I have said, I have some experience of industrial relations and understand that politicians on the floor of the Dáil will not resolve this dispute; however, there are occasions when high-level intervention is not only necessary but also essential. This is one of those occasions. People work hard and need to know they will be able to go on the holidays for which they have paid. People have two weeks of holidays and work for the rest of the year. They want to be able to get away and want to know what the Tánaiste, as deputy Head of Government, is prepared to do to help them.

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