James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from what my two Fianna Fáil colleagues have said about Aer Lingus, a debate today is essential. As other colleagues have said, Senator Sean Barrett will be busy at the banking inquiry this afternoon and will not be here. In fairness, Senator Barrett is one of the few independent voices on this issue. He is a man who makes quite a lot of sense and is someone who should be listened to.

We are told this is a great deal by those members of the Dublin Airport Authority and the people in paid Government positions in Shannon and Cork. I do not take great heed of what they say. This is a further demonstration of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport's lack of commitment to the regions, in particular the mid-west. Limerick yesterday launched its campaign for the 2020 capital of culture, one I hope the Government will put its weight behind. However, by 2020 there may not be connectivity to bring people to the area. The Leader knows the road from Waterford to Limerick is diabolical, the road from the Cork to Limerick is a disgrace and the road from Limerick to Killarney and other areas is terrible. This move could be a serious blow to Shannon's connectivity in the mid-west.

It is not good enough. Even if this deal, unfortunately, seems to be a fait accompli, and perhaps there is not a whole pile that can be done about it, I believe that debate should take place earlier rather than later. I hung around yesterday because I thought the debate was going to take place at 9 p.m. last night but it did not happen, and I had thought it might have happened a couple of days ago but it did not. It has now been pushed aside again. I would like the Leader to accede to the amendment to the Order of Business and support calls for that debate to take place today.