Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like all colleagues, I welcome the job announcement made yesterday for the town of Athenry in the context of it being good from a regional policy perspective. However, as I have done in recent weeks, I ask the Acting Leader to attempt to have a broader debate on regional policy. This is because on the day there was good news for the town of Athenry and the broader Galway region, there was a simultaneous announcement made by Bus Éireann on the possible axing of a significant number of routes. Regional policy is about jobs, transport, education and the road network. It covers a broad array of matters that must be debated. Consequently, I ask the Deputy Leader to try to arrange such a debate.

I have listened with interest to colleagues speak about Aer Lingus and the announcement made in the past few hours by the Government. I believe it is a pronouncement that stems from political consideration, rather than from long-term strategic planning. While I appreciate the intellectual rigour of the argument presented by Senator Sean D. Barrett, Members are either failing or refusing to see the big picture. In this context, I note to colleagues that in attempting to look forward, it sometimes does no harm to look back. One should think back to the mid-1980s, when a company called Ryanair was trying to get off the ground, if Members will excuse the pun. One should consider the opposition to it at the time from unions, certain politicians who were worried about their constituencies and people who were talking about jobs. Had they got their way and had people such as the late brave Jim Mitchell not forced the pace on Ryanair, we, of course, would still have a national carrier called Aer Lingus and it would probably cost the average citizen approximately €1,000 to fly to London. If one wants connectivity, one also needs competition and a strong business model.

I have just briefly read through the statement made by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe.I appreciate that people are looking to an election rather than to aviation policy. Anybody who believes that if this offer is still on the table six months after the forthcoming election it will not be snapped up by the new Government is in cloud cuckoo land. The Acting Leader might facilitate a debate in which Senator Barrett's arguments are intellectually presented and not presented in the context of Members trying to mind their seats and the jobs of the people next door. We need a genuine debate on the future of Aer Lingus and the future economic growth and transport needs of this society.