Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Leader kindly arranged a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about the air navigation and transport Bill. That meeting took place the other day. I was somewhat disturbed that we were presented with the fait accompliby the regulator by way of a PowerPoint presentation.I asked at the end of the meeting that the PowerPoint presentation be made available immediately to us in order that we could discuss it with the people who care about airline safety and flying in general, the Irish Air Line Pilots Association, IALPA. I was told I would be given the PowerPoint presentation before the end of the week, along with the undertaking from the regulator. That all sounded very plausible, but the key point I want to make today is that IALPA is not at all happy with what was presented to Members of the Seanad the other day. We cannot go ahead with this legislation while this doubt hangs over it. The pilots and the pilots’ organisations are the people who know what is happening on the ground. Unless we listen carefully to what they are saying, we cannot allow legislation to go ahead. It is flawed, as far as I am concerned, and I will do everything in my power to obstruct it if we are not prepared to have a proper conversation about this.

I know this is not the fault of the Leader. She arranged the meeting and I am grateful to her for that. The meeting was a very slick performance, I have to say, but at the very end of it, there was very little time. No matter how often I asked if I could have the PowerPoint presentation, I was told “No” and told I would get a letter of undertaking. It is simply not good enough. We are talking about the safety of the public as they fly. If we take the peer support group part of the legislation, we already know one pilot who was suffering from severe depression flew a plane into the Alps. We do not want to see a serious accident. I believe the Irish pilots are genuine in their efforts to make this legislation sound. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister to release the PowerPoint presentation and not to proceed with this legislation until IALPA has had an opportunity to provide a rebuttal.

Before I sit down, and I beg the indulgence of the Chair. Paddy Cosgrave at the Web Summit made the most outrageous attack on the Tánaiste of this country. I have no allegiance to any political party and have never had since I was elected to this House, but the bottom line is that people like Paddy Cosgrave-----