Jim McDaid (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

No. I see Senator O'Toole's point. He has accepted the legal situation and the documentation. When one is reading a reply something may hit one and that is the issue one raises. I knew he would raise the ballot issue I mentioned but I still felt I had to state the position as it is something of which Members should be aware.

If we were cold and calculating we could tell these people they could take the package or they can stay, though the package might not be available to them later. That would be a calculating approach, to say that some people took a package which might not be available to them at another time. I see Senator O'Toole's point, that they took the package in order that others could benefit and the company could survive, and we should take that into consideration. Senator O'Toole asked me to raise this with Government colleagues. I will raise it with the Minister for Transport in order that he can discuss it with Government colleagues. I will do so because, as Senator McDowell said, when dealing with ESOPs in future people may say, when looking at what happened here, that people who took up the option were left floundering even though taking up the option allowed the miracle in Aer Lingus to continue. Not only does this apply to the people involved here, it could have implications for future agreements also.