Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. The Labour Party is very happy to support this Bill. It is being taken at a time when there are very real question marks about the capacity of the aviation sector to recover. Projections suggest that it will be 2024 before it recovers, if at all. The desirability of that recovery is a very separate but important question about how to have a sustainable aviation sector that sustains thousands of jobs and an even wider tourism sector. We need to ensure that sector gets back up on its feet but also with an eye to climate action and trying to reduce our carbon emissions in this country. I am thinking in particular of the uncertain livelihoods and the very significant pay cuts that are on the table both in Aer Lingus and elsewhere within the aviation sector. There is a lack of hope for many in that sector at this point in time and there have been many calls for a recovery plan or strategy.There is a great deal more that could be done by the Department of Transport in this area. The Irish Congress of Trade Union's pre-budget submission references the roll-out of a short-term work scheme as being ideal for the aviation sector. We need to see a real commitment from the Department of Transport with regard to the aviation sector and the thousands of livelihoods that depend on it.

With regard to the legislation, any initiative that streamlines how the area of navigation is regulated must be seen as a positive. On the grounds of independence, scrutiny and public confidence in the sector, it is vital that the regulator is separated out from the regulated. I understand the proposed new model will bring Ireland closer to the standard model of regulation across many other EU member states. Ireland is one of only four countries wherein the functions were separate until the introduction of this legislation. However, the Labour Party has a number of concerns, similar to the concerns already articulated across the Chamber today, in regard to the provisions of this Bill. Many of these concerns have been also articulated by IALPA. It has done a good job in communicating those concerns to us. I think all Senators have been circulated with the four amendments IALPA wishes to put forward.

We need to see interaction with the trade union representing pilots and with others in the sector in regard to their concerns about this legislation. We must not miss the opportunity to have as strong a regulator as possible in this country. We need to address the concerns with regard to the engagement and the relationship between the IAA and its stakeholders. The IAA considers the licenceholders to be its stakeholders, yet in terms of engagement up to now the communication has been largely one way. How can a regulator function, in particular in matters of safety, be that in the air or on the runway, if the voices of pilots, engineers and cabin crew are pointedly excluded and can only be heard through their employer? That is perverse because it may be that some of their concerns are related to how the employer is conducting its operations. We need to ensure that licenceholders have a vehicle or mechanism to communicate with the regulator and that there is two-way dialogue. This is important given that licenceholders, in particular pilots, can be held legally responsible if something goes wrong. In that context, IALPA has put forward a number of suggestions around peer support programmes, the gradation of sanctions and the licenceholder forum and licenceholder charter. I ask the Minister of State to engage in that regard.

Another concern relates to the altering of the airport charge criteria to include the reasonable interest of users of Dublin Airport, although I accept that protection of consumer welfare must be a key part of a regulator's pricing strategy. Notwithstanding the assurances provided by the Minister of State in her opening contribution, serious questions remain with regard to the future financing of Dublin Airport. Concerns have been expressed over a significant period of time with regard to the under-provisioning in regard to safety critical infrastructure on taxi-ways, runway lighting, ramp design and other aspects of the airport. We need to hear more detail about getting that balance between ensuring we have safety critical infrastructure that is up to date and of the appropriate standard, while at the same time meeting the needs of workers in all areas of the airport, consumers and all those people not only in Dublin but across the country who are dependent on the airport. I would welcome further clarification around the criteria and in regard to what changes, if any, will ensure Dublin Airport Authority can fund itself into the future.