Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Averil Power played a very important and very active role in the campaign and I would never take that away from her - she is a very good colleague of ours so that is for another day. It is important for the occasion to be marked and I also welcome the fact that the Government has decided to bring the legislation forward to July. The Government can be assured of our party's support in ensuring the legislation has a quick passage.

I have just come from the Lower House and I congratulate Bobby Aylward, the new Deputy who was elected for the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency to replace the EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan. I am delighted he has been elected by the people of that constituency. He is a colleague of mine in Fianna Fáil and I pass on my congratulations to him and to all candidates, of all parties and of none, who put their names forward in the by-election and campaigned so hard in that constituency.

I believe that, earlier today, the proposed takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG was discussed in Cabinet. Our views are very clear on this - we oppose the sale of the State's share. Under the Aer Lingus Act 2004, once the Government makes a recommendation to sell its stake it has to be voted on in the Dáil. I ask the Minister for Transport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, to come to the House at the appropriate time, whatever the Government decision is, to go through the rationale for the decision and to take questions. I remind Members that 15,000 pensioners and members of the IASS pension scheme are suffering savage cuts to their pension benefits, which allowed Aer Lingus and the airport to wipe away a €740 million pension deficit in order to fatten the company up for sale. Those people must be remembered in this and maybe, if the Government is going to sell its stake, part of the residual moneys can actually be used for the benefit of the deferred pensioners who have been cut by 60%-----