Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank her for being here. I asked on the Order of Business yesterday that we would have statements on this issue and I am glad the Deputy Leader and the Minister of State were able to facilitate that because it is an important issue. The Minister has laid out the reasons it is an important issue quite comprehensively. l acknowledge that we all accept this is a multilayered, multifaceted and multi-agency issue with responsibility across a range of Departments, State and non-State agencies, private interests and others. No one is saying an approach to these issues is straightforward or simple. Senator Buttimer will be familiar with the famous Cork man, Roy Keane, saying, "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail". That is the problem here.

Colleagues have referenced the chaotic scenes in Dublin Airport during the summer, but it seems when we come in to talk about what is happening in the airport, we are not coming in to talk about how important the aviation sector is to our economy, communities, job creation and our tourism sector. We are coming in, unfortunately, to deal retrospectively with crisis management. Senator Murphy is correct in that we do not get extreme frost and cold snaps every year but winter is winter and it could come aniar aduaidh orainn, unexpectedly, at any stage. If we cannot be prepared for adverse weather that is cold and pretty standard, it does not bode well for planning for other even more unique and uncommon situations that might be faced down the line.

I agree with Senator Buttimer in that I do not think anyone expects it is the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, or any other Minister to get out to de-ice a plane or grit a runway but, ultimately, the clue is in the title. He is the Minister for Transport and this is a transport issue. We are reaching the point now where someone in government needs to get a grip on the numerous issues coming to light in failing to prepare. We have seen the evidence of that.

I have to caveat my remarks by saying I am appreciative of the Minister of State's coming in here to outline the actions the Government is taking and the important points she made regarding air passenger rights and what passengers are entitled to. I encourage her, if she has not done so, to think of a way to get that message into the public domain better to ensure passengers are aware of their rights, entitlements and protections in situations such as those we have seen in the past number of days.

It is not too much that we as representatives and, indeed, the community has the right to expect that a major European airport such as Dublin Airport would have contingency plans and strategies in place, especially in winter time, to deal with incidents of cold and adverse weather. There needs to be strategic oversight but responsibility also needs to be taken for the failure to plan.

I would also like to acknowledge the workers in Dublin Airport who, not just over the past couple of days but the past couple of months and years, have been up against it. It has not been easy for them. They are all human and I hope they sympathise and empathise with the people who found themselves in this predicament at this time of the year. Together we have to ensure we give the staff and workers the capacity to deliver a first-class service that, in turn, makes sure that anyone travelling in or out, especially in the run-up to Christmas, gets out safely and effectively and in a way that causes the least amount of disruption for everyone. I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come in. I wish to hear a bit more, not just about this situation, but the situation going forward to ensure there are no repeats in the time ahead. I wish to hear what the departmental officials and the Minister will do to ensure Dublin Airport is prepared and, ultimately, that the Minister will have the oversight to ensure delivery for people.