Shane Ross (Independent)

I endorse what Senator Mooney has just said and what Senator O'Toole said earlier. The decision in question will be made public on Tuesday. We are speaking here of a leaked document. If Senator Mooney is correct and the decision goes against Ryanair, there are very serious implications for the airline industry in Ireland. Whereas many of us are on different sides on the Ryanair issue, this is a wider matter. It concerns not only competition in an intangible sense among airlines, but every citizen on this island. The great achievement of Ryanair has been to open airports and airlines to people who could not normally afford to travel abroad. It has created a huge market for Irish people to travel to places to which they might never have been before. If that is to come to an end, it is a matter of Government policy. It is a matter on which the Minister for Transport has already expressed an opinion. It would be very useful for us to seize the initiative by having a debate on the matter next week.