Seanad debates

Thursday, 9 February 2006

10:35 am

Photo of Brendan RyanBrendan Ryan (Labour)

Last October a commitment was given to the Oireachtas that the inquiry into the death of Pat Joe Walsh in Monaghan General Hospital would be completed in three months. We are well beyond that but we are still waiting to hear the outcome of the inquiry.

I do not know how many years it is since we were given a commitment that the use of mobile phones in cars would be prohibited but we are still waiting. I also remember Government representatives giving unqualified commitments that the beet industry was safe in its hands, commitments I and others knew were impossible to fulfil.

However, perhaps the most brazen commitment was given in 2003 by the then Minister for Transport, Deputy Séamus Brennan, when he stated that Cork Airport would be debt free. Last night in this House, Senator Minihan finally elicited the truth from the Government, namely, that it will not be debt free. The only question is the size of the debt the airport will have to carry.

External commentators said at the time that the breakup of Aer Rianta would not work the way the Minister proposed; it was obvious. He assured us, however, that his advice was that it could be done and now Cork Airport will be burdened with a debt that it did not choose to take on. We do not know what an independent Cork Airport would have decided if it was operating on its own. It is now the victim of other people's decisions.

It is a most profound breach of faith by the Government to make such a commitment to advance an ideologically-driven decision to break up the State airport service into independent services. I am tabling an amendment to the Order of Business to discuss the future of Cork Airport, particularly the commitment given by the Government to enable it to start off debt free.

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