Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

No, it did not. Talk about bravura, it was something else. How could such a scenario work? He is the very person who gives out about the monopoly on State airports and about having an airport under state control, yet he is now seeking to control another airline.

Senator Ryan asked if the Government can do anything right. He said that when the section of road from Fermoy and Cork was tolled An Post instructed its drivers to travel the old route. This means those vehicles thunder through the villages in that area, which was not meant to be the result of the tolling. When I travel on the section of road tolled on my way to and from Kinegad to Dublin I never meet a truck; they all travel on the old road. That is silly — they end up taking the rat runs.

Senator Ryan also raised the matter of the quality of the advise the Government received. He asked did nobody envisage the Ryanair spectre emerging.

Senator Dardis wished the talks in Scotland well. He requested a debate on the probability of an Irish force going to the Lebanon couched, if necessary, in the context of a debate on the situation in the Middle East or on its own in isolation. I will request such a debate as I consider it is necessary. However, it is not necessary to debate that matter here as it comes under the triple lock mechanism. Nevertheless, it would be useful to have such a debate.

Senator Finucane ascribed a lovely term to the person seeking to take over Aer Lingus, that of the cuckoo in the nest. The Senator also raised the matter of the nursing home subventions, the granting of which has also tightened. I know of a case where two pensions go towards the cost of care of an individual, yet there is still a shortfall of €800 in the amount required, and the people concerned do not have the money to make up that shortfall. The man concerned has Alzheimer's and has high dependency needs and there is the issue of what it will cost to provide for his care. The level of subventions have not kept pace with inflation.