Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I commend Senator Mulcahy for his contribution, and he knows more about Shannon Airport than anybody else in either House. He outlined exactly what is needed for Shannon Airport, those who work there and those who are affected by it. The Minister correctly stated in his speech that the number of passengers using Shannon Airport declined from 3.6 million to 1.6 million in a four to five-year period. The Government has decided to arrest this situation. It established a strategy to separate Shannon and Dublin airports and proceeded to eradicate duplication. Responsibility for tourism will be transferred to Fáilte Ireland and the business interest surrounding the airport will be transferred to Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. It has established a change management task force to develop the aviation industry to its full potential including aircraft maintenance and repair, aviation training and overhaul. Most importantly, the Government recognises that no business will survive without the workforce being brought along with the process. The Government has now provided permanent and temporary positions for staff representatives to be included in the full process. As an active trade unionist I know the importance of this. I worked in Eircom for many years. It was one of the first companies in the country to establish a partnership process. It works extremely well because it gives responsibility and accountability to staff for their own job survival. This is exactly what Shannon Airport will do.

Of course this opportunity carries risk, and I acknowledge what Senator O'Sullivan said, but I ask him to show me a business plan anywhere in the world which does not have a risk attached and I will buy him a pint because every business has a risk attached. This process has been examined by experts who have taken time, used best practice and gone through all of the processes required to ensure the best business plan is put together. The Government will proceed to put in place this new system on 31 December.

This action by the Government is supported by the local authorities in the region. When I speak about local authorities, as Senator O'Sullivan well knows, I mean elected members because to me that is what local authorities are. They are the people who feel the pulse on the ground as to whether this is the right or wrong decision. If those elected by the communities throughout the mid-west support it, then quite frankly it is good enough for me. It is also supported by the chambers of commerce and business interests in the Shannon and mid-west regions. Most importantly, it is supported by airport users.

The amendment tabled by Fianna Fáil seeks to halt the process. It has been halted for long enough and it is now time to press the go button and move on and ensure Shannon Airport has a future. I fully support the motion.