asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether there has been personal intervention with President Nixon with regard to the landing rights dispute; and, if so, with what result.
39.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - US Airline Landing Rights.
38.
Mr. O'Donnell
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he will state the circumstances of the representations to Mr. Nixon, US President, regarding Shannon and the landing rights question.
40.
Mr. O'Donnell
asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether in order to resolve the present deadlock in the landing rights issue, a ministerial delegation will now be sent to Washington to meet the US Government; and, if not, why.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 39 and 40 together.
Prior to the consultations between Irish and United States delegations at Washington on 23-24 November, 1971, the Taoiseach wrote to the President of the United States expressing his concern about the landing rights question and drawing attention to the adverse effects which the United States demand for entry to Dublin would have on the Shannon region and on the Irish airline. As Deputies already know, the United States authorities presented very exacting demands at the talks, that is, admission of three airlines to Dublin with onward rights eastward from Dublin and a stop at Shannon at the option of each airline. On this latter point the United States were prepared to consider further stops at Shannon if an overall agreement, satisfactory to them, was forthcoming. The President has now replied to the Taoiseach to the effect that the United States had no intention of imperilling the financial position of the Irish airlines or injuring the Irish economy; that the Irish airline has successfully competed against the United States airlines in the past and entry to Dublin by the United States airlines should not prejudice its decided competitive advantage; and that in order to safeguard the Shannon position he was instructing the United States delegation to agree that United States airlines en route to and from Dublin would stop at Shannon, provided that other transatlantic airlines did so.
The Government are now considering the position in the light of the United States attitude. No arrangements have been made so far for resuming the consultations with the United States.
Is the Minister prepared to release the text of the reply from President Nixon?
No. I have given the House the relevant information which concerns planes stopping each way at Shannon. The President has instructed his negotiating term to this effect in answer to representations made by the Taoiseach.
Would the Minister not consider that, when the President of the United States of America writes to the Taoiseach on a matter of such national importance, it is in the public interest that the full text of the letter should be placed before the Oireachtas?
It is in the public interest that our negotiations position should be maintained and preserved as much as possible.
That is not the question I asked.
My reply is very relevant to the question the Deputy asked.
Mr. O'Donnell
In view of the fact that it is now crystal clear that formal representations to the United States Government, and negotiations at Civil Service level, have proved fruitless in ending this deadlock, would the Minister not now agree that new tacties will have to be adopted? Surely the obvious solution is for a ministerial delegation to go to Washington and try to convince the Senate Transportation Sub-Committee of the United States Government on the merits of the Irish case? Is the Minister aware that the Transportation Sub-Committee is the whole bogey?
The Deputy is living in cloud-cuckoo-land if he thinks that is the way to go about it. We are dealing with the American Administration.
Mr. O'Donnell
Surely some useful purpose could be served by the Minister going to the States and meeting his counterpart there. At least the Minister for Foreign Affairs met his counterpart, as he told us a while ago.
We have shots in our locker which will be used at the appropriate time. The fact of the matter is that by reason of the direct representations made by the Taoiseach to the President of the United States of America he had instructed his negotiating team to make a concession in that it is now clear from his letter to the Taoiseach——
Mr. O'Donnell
Why not publish the letter?
This is the whole burden of the detailed reply I gave to the House. It is quite clear now that we have gained a stop at Shannon each way to be mandatory on American airlines provided the Irish airline continues to stop at Shannon each way as well. That is the concession that was not available to the negotiating team who were faced with a blanket refusal.
Is it not true that six months ago the representatives of the American airlines said that they were offering to stop at Shannon and fly no further than Dublin and that that offer was made before the present negotiations got into full swing? Therefore, how can the Minister now say that this has arisen only as a result of the Taoiseach writing to the President of the United States?
There is a new situation now since the Americans served the notice of withdrawal of landing rights in New York. This, in effect, means that New York is denied to us from 18th August of next year. This is creating a new situation and we have to fight for the restoration of the New York landing rights that have been taken from us as and from 18th August next by reason of the American notice.
Has the text of the letter from the American President to the Taoiseach been notified to Aer Lingus International as the company so directly and intimately concerned? Have the company been made aware of the contents of the letter?
They are fully aware at all stages——
How come that the senior management of Aer Lingus are aware of the contents of the letter and the Minister is not prepared to disclose the contents of the letter to Members of this House?
The Deputy will appreciate that Aer Lingus representatives are present at all stages as observers at the negotiations. We take them fully into our confidence as representatives of the national airline. At all stages it is important for the negotiating team and their observers to maintain our negotiating position and not disclose any matter which might in any way prejudice that negotiating position.
Could the Minister tell us what the current Irish negotiating position is?
Question No. 41.
41.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if the possible banning of American aircraft from overflying the national territory has been raised in the negotiations on landing rights with the American Government; and, if not, why.
No. The rights of overflight are enshrined in the Chicago Convention of 1944 and in the International Air Transit Agreement of the same year to which both Ireland and the US are parties. Such rights have nothing to do with recent negotiations which are concerned with the exercise of commercial rights under the bilateral agreement between the two countries.