Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Transport if Aer Lingus indicates to him, plans to lease or otherwise transfer some of the Heathrow slots either to other airports or to other airlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35043/07]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will indicate to Aer Lingus his desire to be informed at an early date of plans to transfer or lease Heathrow slots to other airlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35044/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 257 together.

The utilisation of airport slots is a commercial matter for Aer Lingus. The Government's shareholding does not confer on me a right to influence commercial operations of the company or to have preferential access to price sensitive information in advance of other shareholders.

Arrangements to safeguard Heathrow slots are built into the Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association of Aer Lingus. The Company is obliged under these provisions to notify shareholders of any proposal to dispose of Heathrow Slots. The measures also provide for the possibility that any disposal of Heathrow slots by the Company can be prevented by 30.2% of the votes cast at an Extraordinary General Meeting. 25.2% of the shares in the Company are held by the Minister for Finance on behalf of the State. I understand that the ESOT holds 12.5%, Ryanair hold 29.3% and the remaining 33% of shares are held by various private bodies and financial institutions. These arrangements do not apply to the transfer of slots between routes to and from Heathrow.

Also, under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the State is entitled to appoint three directors to the board of Aer Lingus. Currently, there is only one State appointed director serving on the board and it is proposed that two further appointments be made in the near future. The State appointees will be mandated to seek to ensure that all future decisions of the company that have significant implications for wider Government, aviation or regional development policies are considered at board level. This will give the State appointees the opportunity to raise the public policy implications of each decision and to ensure that the full commercial implications for the company are taken into account.