Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of slots available at Heathrow Airport, London, available to Aer Lingus at the time of the Aer Lingus sale; the number that are available and in use at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23511/09]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of Heathrow slots owned by Aer Lingus at the time of its sale by the Government which have been the subject of a disposal transaction in the period to date; if, in each case, shareholders were informed as required by legislation; if he was required under the legislation to make a recommendation to the Department of Finance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23512/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take questions 152 and 153 together.

At the time of the Aer Lingus IPO the company had rights to 23 daily slot pairs at Heathrow and this remains the case. Arrangements to safeguard against any disposal of Heathrow slots were built into the Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association at the time of the IPO and any change to the Memorandum and Articles would require a special resolution. There has been no such resolution proposed since the IPO.

Decisions in relation to the utilisation of slots at Heathrow, including the leasing of slots, are a commercial matter for Aer Lingus.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Transport if the Aer Lingus decision to open a second base outside of the Republic of Ireland has impacted on its ability to meet the criteria for connectivity of Dublin, Cork or Shannon with Heathrow Airport, London, as outlined in his statement laid before the Dáil Eireann at the time of the Aer Lingus sale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23513/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Aer Lingus has opened two new bases outside the Republic of Ireland since the IPO in 2006. A base at Belfast was opened in early 2008 and a new base at Gatwick opened in spring 2009. The development of new bases outside Ireland by Aer Lingus is entirely a commercial matter for the Board of the company. The exploitation of new business opportunities by Aer Lingus is to be encouraged, particularly where it helps ensure the future viability of the Company.

The level of connectivity of Dublin, Shannon or Cork to Heathrow has not been significantly affected by the development of bases outside Ireland. While the Shannon-Heathrow route was temporarily suspended in 2008, it was reinstated earlier this year and the Company recently announced plans to acquire additional slots and base an A320 aircraft at Shannon, which will facilitate an increase in Shannon Heathrow services from 2 flights per day to 3 flights per day. It is understood that Aer Lingus is seeking to improve timings to facilitate enhanced connectivity to and from Heathrow.