Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree with other Senators who have asked for a debate on the issue of Aer Lingus. I am sure the Leader will facilitate that. Like many people, Aer Lingus to me is "Look up, it's Aer Lingus". I have huge emotional attachment to it. A very interesting case has been made by the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, in the past 24 hours relating to the future of Aer Lingus and the fact that it may not have a future if it does not have an investment of the type that IAG can put into the company.

However, I want to be sure that the workers in the company are protected, whether those workers be the former workers, the deferred pensioners, the pensioners or the existing workforce. Legally binding assurances must be given on outsourcing and compulsory redundancies. Until SIPTU is happy with what is on the table there, I personally would not be happy. On the comments that have been made by Senator van Turnhout regarding children and slapping and so forth, there is no need for a debate. There is no debate to be had. It is a statement of the obvious. My question is what we are going to do about implementing the law that is required to ensure that smacking children is outlawed and, indeed, treating them in any way that takes away from their dignity should also be illegal.

I ask the Leader for a debate on the Commission's country-specific recommendations for Ireland. In that context, one of the leading recommendations on labour market activation and the number of lone parents, in particular, living in poverty and so forth, related to the lack of child care in Ireland. In the context of the country-specific recommendations, could the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs come to the House to discuss how Ireland intends to respond to the Commission's recommendations and what measures this country is taking in respect of recommendations that were made last year on the same subjects?