Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being willing to listen. The Senator hit the nail on the head in saying we are talking about pilots first. Anybody who has watched the programme Senator Buttimer adverted to, on air accident investigations, will realise flying is about a number of small steps that must all be taken in the correct order. A pilot must not be afraid to report. There cannot be circumstances in which pilots feel the employer is the only person they can go to. I could cite examples concerning the pressure pilots were put under to sail as close to the wind as possible without breaking the regulations, but I will not do so specifically because, the moment I do, people will start putting two and two together and coming up with a different airline than the one in question, and we will have airlines branded as this, that or the other. By putting what I propose into legislation, we would guarantee the people who do the work on the ground the opportunity to go beyond their employer and ensure they are getting the best and safest conditions in which to do their job.

I mentioned Rescue 116 in an earlier contribution. I am aware that the report on the investigation is due imminently. None of the organisations referred to in respect of Rescue 116, including the IAA, the Department of Transport and CHC, comes out of it well. One will find in the report that staff were afraid to talk about issues. When pilots were dispatched or scrambled to fly from Dublin to Blacksod after 18 hours without sleep, where was the IAA? How did it finish up having pilots on 24-hour duty? I have no idea how that happened. The IAA has not crowned itself in glory. As Senator Buttimer said, air traffic control is a stressful job at the best of times. We discussed this at meetings of the committee. We heard horrific stories from air traffic controllers. Changing the name of the organisation and moving the regulator into it is not going to change the culture. Unfortunately, the Minister of State is the person carrying the can on this. If she is not going to accept my amendment, I want from her a promise that she will determine exactly what is going on and put an end to it.Senator Buttimer mentioned Kieran Mulvey. Every time I think of his name, I know we have a major crisis on our hands. That is when we look for Mr. Mulvey and where he is at his best. The stuff I am getting back from pilots, air traffic controllers, engineering people and cabin crews pains me. All of them are having problems and the IAA is stuck in the middle of that to its neck. I ask the Minister of State to accept these amendments.