Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I wish to share my time with Senator Kitt.

I welcome the Minister and his officials. I agree with Senator Terry that Dublin Airport is very important not only for Dublin, but for the eastern region and, indeed, the country. I am delighted to speak on the Fine Gael motion. As the motion tried to do, it is easy to focus on the current delays at Dublin Airport and to blame the Dublin Airport Authority and the Government which appointed it. I have spoken to people who faced the queues at the airport, which we all saw on the news. There has been chaos at the airport over the past week or so, particularly at peak times, as a result of the EU audit whereby a fake bomb and a number of other dangerous implements which should have been detected got through security. It is not good enough that they were not detected but that is not the fault of the Government, the airport authority or the overstretched and tired employees at the security check.

These delays are the result of thorough security arrangements. I would be very concerned if travelling on an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to America or on any other flight, internal or external, if I was able to walk through security without any checks or examination. Nobody likes to queue, whether in the supermarket or on the way in or out of Croke Park, but it is a fact of life. The existence of queues is a reassuring sign in the context of airport or airline safety. We have all gone through airport security and wondered about the need for such examination. However, it is there to ensure air travel is safe for travellers.

For many of the people working at our airports and elsewhere, it is a difficult and, in many cases, a thankless job. On many occasions, employees are the subject of abuse and smart comments. They have an important responsibility and the travelling public must treat these important employees with the respect they deserve.

We have all heard stories about nightmare delays, problems caused by missing flights, etc., but this is not entirely the responsibility of the Dublin Airport Authority. The airlines in question must carry some of the responsibility. The airport authority asks people to arrive an hour and a half or two hours early to check in, which they are doing. However, they are not always facilitated by the airlines in question as they are not providing extra personnel to deal with people who arrive early to check in and this results in considerable queues at security checks.

There seem to be many experts on airports, airport security, etc., but I certainly would not claim to be an expert, particularly in regard security. On 13 April 2005, the Ryanair deputy chief executive officer, Michael Cawley, confirmed that airline's full confidence in security procedures at Dublin Airport. He stated:

As the largest airline operating at Dublin Airport with over 24,000 departures per annum, we have many complaints about facilities at the airport, but none about its safety or security. In our experience the security procedures at Dublin are among the best in Europe and compare favourably with any of the other airports to which we operate.

He is an expert and deputy chief executive of one of the largest airlines in this country, so I rest my case.