Shane Ross (Independent)

I endorse what Senator Hannigan said about the student support Bill. Many of us have already been lobbied this morning about that in Buswell's Hotel. The Leader of the House might be able to tell us where the Bill is and what is happening to it. I think it is sitting somewhere in Merrion Street and has been for two years. The least the students should get is some indication of when it will be published and come before these Houses.

Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport. There was a missing ingredient at that meeting, namely, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who for some reason is one of the lead players in the controversy surrounding Ryanair's effort to get into hangar six. Will the Leader of the House ask the Tánaiste to come to the House to explain the Government's position on this?

I notice she is quoted this morning as saying it would not be in the interests of Aer Lingus shareholders for her to combine with Michael O'Leary to ask Aer Lingus to move out of that hangar. As far as I know she is not in the business of acting for the other Aer Lingus shareholders. The reason the Tánaiste has that key shareholding is because she is meant to act in the interests of the nation and the taxpayer. I do not know whether she is muddled or muzzled but it is about time she decided whose interests she is acting for - Aer Rianta, the taxpayer or the other shareholders. She does not seem to know.

I suggest she comes to the House and sorts this out because there is a growing suspicion that whatever the rights and wrongs of this ongoing spat there are at least three parties whose prime motivation is to thwart Michael O'Leary and Ryanair rather than the interests that they are meant to represent. It would be a great pity if a major decision was taken on the basis of personal animosity or a personal difficulty, which all of those three parties have got with that company. I have one question which Mr. O'Leary himself asked yesterday. If this was Bill Gates or Michael Dell, would they get the same treatment as Michael O'Leary? I suggest they would not.