Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

Like most Members, I would welcome a debate on the future of Aer Lingus. All of us value its importance to the welfare of the country. It is not correct to say that when a body like Aer Lingus is in State ownership, it is therefore in limbo. The chairman of the World Competitiveness Council said on radio this morning that it is not important to our welfare whether our airline is in State or private ownership; what is important is the routes that are available. Much of the hesitation some of us would have about privatisation relates to what guarantees would be available in terms of routes in and out of the country.

It is fine to speak of policy towards semi-State bodies but I am not sure there should be a policy towards semi-State bodies. Each body must be dealt with pragmatically on its merits. I do not want to see happen to Aer Lingus what happened to Irish Steel in the mid-1990s when it was sold for £1 and closed a few days later by a fly-by-night merchant.