Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has come quite a distance during the discussions on this Bill. I mention the licenceholders forum and the discrete group of pilots, licensed mechanics and air traffic controllers are the people who are on the front line when there is an accident and whose expertise is questioned at those times. For example, the aircraft technicians record the details of where every nut and bolt that is put into an aircraft was made, when it was made, who made it and all that sort of stuff. These are the key people involved in any air accident. I am a little torn because the list the Minister of State read out is quite extensive and there is some merit in having a wide-ranging discussion on air transport and all that sort of thing but the licenceholders, that discrete group of three, need to have their own forum. They need to have a safe place where they can discuss issues of concern and that safe place needs no other outside bodies to be involved.