Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the need for this House to have some sort of debate on Greece. It is an international crisis that, regardless of the way it is resolved, will have a detrimental effect on the European project as we know it. Regardless of whether it is resolved satisfactorily or not, Europe has changed as a result of the Greek crisis. It would be no harm if the Leader were in a position to organise a debate to clarify the Government position, which I have no doubt is very clear. Like the Irish people, the Government empathises with the people of Greece. Some of the ill-informed and misconstrued comments on the Government position were regrettable because they are not true and the Taoiseach and other Ministers have made that clear in recent days.

On a more positive note, the aviation industry in this country is doing remarkably well. I am delighted to be able to tell the House that AerCap, which is one of the world's leading aircraft leasing companies, has created 100 jobs, 50 of which are in Dublin in Senator Darragh O'Brien's area and 50 in Shannon. These are high-end and highly sought after jobs in the area of technical aircraft leasing as well as legal, treasury and finance jobs. AerCap has had a tremendous growth trajectory over recent years. It now has about 2,000 aircraft, the latest of which is being delivered to Dublin Airport today. We all remember the great dream that was Guinness Peat Aviation. Unfortunately, due to bad timing and a bad initial public offering, it did not lead to the international stardom and success for which people had hoped. We now have far more balanced and measured development of the aircraft leasing business. Ireland is the world leader in aircraft leasing. No one can come near us. We need to play to our strengths. The 100 new jobs are an incremental step in the development plan of an aircraft industry that does not just involve flying planes but encompasses the industry around it, particularly aircraft leasing. I hope we will see in due course many more jobs in aircraft finance, engineering, marketing and so on. There is no reason Ireland cannot become a world hub and expert in the aircraft business. I again welcome this jobs announcement which is a great vote of confidence in counties Clare and Dublin. It shows the expertise this country has in the area.