Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

More than 5,000 retired members, people in their 70s, 80s and 90s, who worked for Aer Lingus, the Dublin Airport Authority and SR Technics, or Team Aer Lingus, as it was, have had six weeks pay taken from them. There are also deferred members of long-standing. A man I met last night who is due to retire and draw his pension later this year after 42 years service has had a 48% cut to his pension entitlement. The Tánaiste gave indications last year that she would, in some way, shape or form, move towards reducing these cuts and a number of Labour Party members at the Labour Party conference actually signed a motion to look for fairness in this regard, but they have reneged on this completely and utterly. I do not think anyone in the House can say, in any way, shape or form, that what has happened to airport pension scheme members, IASS members, is fair or equitable. The reason the Government did it was simply to write off the debt in the pension scheme before it sold Aer Lingus. Therefore, the reason the State has €335 million-plus is it robbed the airport pension scheme members; it is as simple as that.

I asked last week, when the Government referred the matter to the committee, that when it was referred back, that we debate it in order that I would be able to debate it with the Minister, Deputyj Paschal Donohoe, to see if there was any way the Government would look at reducing the level of cuts, which have been absolutely scandalous, for this group of workers and retired members. It had never happened before in the history of the State that a profitable company was allowed to run down its pension scheme. Complicit in this was the legislation brought forward by the Government to enable it to happen. I am, therefore, proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 1 be taken with debate. What does the Minister have to hide? Let him come here and tell us what he is going to do. He has an extra €335 million that he wants to put into a connectivity fund, whatever the hell that is, but it is not acceptable to take the matter without debate. I will be pushing the amendment to a vote.

On another very serious matter, the report issued today on the assessment of paramilitary activity, with a particular focus on the role of the Provisional IRA, as currently constituted in the Sinn Féin movement, I ask the Leader to ensure we are given time to read the report and debate in the Seanad, given the implications for democracy, both in the Republic and the North of Ireland.