Ciarán Cannon (Fine Gael)

Some 44 flights per week will be removed from Dublin and 36 from Shannon. It is not as if these aircraft are being taken out of commission. They are being moved to other locations in Europe in which there are governments with a little more vision and sense. Perhaps they are being moved to Belgium where the Government has scrapped the passenger tax, to Greece where the regional airport tax has been reduced to zero, to Holland where the €12 air passenger tax has been removed, or to Spain which is announcing a zero rate of tax for airlines which sustain or maintain traffic in particular locations. Something similar must be done immediately in this country. Will the Leader call on the Minister for Transport to come to the Chamber to explain this nonsensical decision and perhaps to take the enlightened route of removing the tax immediately before it impacts further on tourism numbers in the upcoming season?