Derek McDowell (Labour)

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 8, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following subsections:

"(2) The Minister shall remain as the main principal shareholder of the Dublin Airport Authority and after their appointed days the Cork Airport Authority and the Shannon Airport Authority subject to the provision contained at section 10 (4).

(3) Aer Rianta International and the Great Southern Hotels Limited shall remain as wholly owned subsidiaries of the Dublin Airport Authority.".

This is an important amendment in that it deals essentially with the ownership of the company in the future. The Minister, in proposing the Bill to both Houses, has been explicit in saying he has come to the view that Aer Rianta and the three successor companies will remain in public ownership into the future. It is no secret that not everybody is persuaded by his protestations on the issue. It is a great pity that, not just in regard to Aer Rianta but also Aer Lingus, we have had such a long but also inadequate debate in recent years when Government policy appears to have vacillated. When Ministers have changed their view there was a corresponding change of view within Government depending on which Minister was in power at a given time. We are left with a distinct lack of clarity in terms of the Minister's or the Government's future intentions.

The proposed new subsection seeks to copper-fasten State ownership into the future. I strongly believe that the three State airports are an essential part of national infrastructure and that they should be owned by the State. I also believe — and I hope we will get an opportunity to discuss it later — that any new terminal in Dublin should also be owned by the State. It is not possible to have constructive competition on the one site. We should take the opportunity to copper-fasten State ownership of the three airports.