Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)

Senator McDowell has said the delivery of minimum levels of service can only be guaranteed by retaining Aer Lingus in State ownership. In this respect, I raise a point that has been well documented in the last two days. Last week a wheelchair-bound passenger travelling from Shannon Airport to Dublin was left on an aircraft for 90 minutes during very bad weather. The person concerned who is suffering from diabetes was travelling to attend a hospital in Dublin. This occurred due to a misunderstanding and, although I accept fully that such difficulties can arise, it does not reflect a good level of service within the public sector.

While I agree with Senator Browne that it is important to have identifiable levels of service, I am not sure they can be provided for through legislation. Whatever regulatory authorities are in place post privatisation, if that is what happens, there are ways by which levels of service can be regulated. The market tends to address service levels when they fall below a specified standard as the company tends to suffer the wrath of the travelling public. These issues can be dealt with later.