Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Okay, sorry. The issue of peer support is perhaps even more important than that of the licence holder forum. At one of the meetings we had with the Minister, we were given a glimpse of hope that peer support would be addressed. The recognition of how important who the peer actually is, and who she he or she is chosen by, is paramount to the success of this programme. In order for any issues in this industry to be brought to bear so that they can be assisted, helped, alleviated and dealt with, peer support and the programmes that have been initiated by some of our aviation airlines over the last number of years are hugely important. However, they only work when operators in the industry feel comfortable and confident with giving information pertaining to themselves, their ability to do their job or any of the things that are hindering them. There are many such issues in every single walk of life and in all of our jobs.

Fatigue is probably one of the biggest issues in the airline industry. Those working in the industry are not unique in suffering from all of the other afflictions that every other worker suffers from, including marital difficulties, problems with their children, mental health issues, alcoholism, addiction to drugs, or just being exhausted and over-rostered. There is a myriad of things that make this industry incredibly unsafe.A peer support programme only works in a situation where, if I feel so vulnerable that I am not able to do my job, I can trust the person I go to and tell him or her I need help with something that is inflicting pain on my career, income and ability to do my job. Of most importance is that I be able to trust that peer, that there be confidentiality in our engagement and that I get the assistance, guidance and action I need.

The single greatest problem with the peer support programme as it is at the moment, and obstructed by the current regulator, is that the airlines appoint the peers. There is a perception within all of our airlines that the appointment is made by management on behalf of management to ensure that, if anything happens, management will be able to react to it. I made the plea to the CEO designate that a peer should not be chosen by management because that immediately creates mistrust, and if there is no trust, then the whole engagement falls apart because there will be no engagement. His answer was that, since the airline would have to pay for the requisite action and take immediate steps, the organisation had to appoint the peer. That is a fundamentally flawed argument.

While I appreciate that airlines will have their own peers and their support programmes will not be the exact same as one another's, the success or death of this will come down to trust. No matter how much money Aer Lingus or Ryanair puts into its programme or how much training it gives Regina Doherty to be the peer, if the person who is selected is not trusted, the airline will never get the information that will allow it to make adaptations and provide the necessary assistance to ensure that the person can do his or her job effectively and manage the difficulty, be it fatigue, alcoholism, a problem with drugs, mental health issues or any of the afflictions that are prevalent in today's life. If there is not that trust, there will be no information and we will be carrying on blindly. Although we will have this peer support programme and it will tick a box wonderfully, people will be left scratching their ears wondering why no one is coming forward saying that he or she has a problem in his or her marriage, a problem with a few pints too many on a Sunday or whatever myriad of issues there may be. If there is no trust, there will be no peer support programme. All of the palaver from the IAA will amount to nothing because the peer will not get the information if there is no trust.

Given the context of the amendment we have put down, it is fundamental that a peer be selected by his or her peers. It does not make sense otherwise. It is vital that each airline be instructed that-----