I welcome the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I have every respect for the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, but I am disappointed that none of the three Ministers at the Department of Enterprise and Employment has seen fit to come into the House to reply to this very important issue. This is highly unprofessional. When I was in the Department there was no such lack of professionalism.
When I raised this matter on Tuesday I was told that this was a commercially sensitive matter, yet today's edition of the Irish Independent carries an interview with the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Deputy Bruton, about Shannon Aerospace. He ends the interview by saying that he does not wish to comment further on the matter and that it would not be proper for anyone to publicly debate it. The Minister gave this exclusive interview to the Irish Independent on the basis that no one else was to refer to the matter. When I requested the Adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 30 this morning to discuss this matter I was told that it was not in order.
The first person to whom the characteristics of insensitivity and lack of professionalism can be applied is the Minister who chose to discuss a commercially sensitive issue in the newspapers rather than deal with it in the House. To add insult to injury, he went on to say that no one else should debate the matter publicly. Even though he said in the newspaper report that he is considering investing an extra £15 million in the company, the Minister did not accept my request to raise the matter in the House as a matter of urgency. He has treated this House with disrespect in regard to this matter.
Shannon Aerospace employs 700 people. When I visited Shannon Aerospace during my term of office in the Department of Enterprise and Employment I was very impressed by the quality of the work and the motivation and commitment of its employees. In reply to a parliamentary question the Minister said that since 1992 the State has allocated £23 million to Shannon Aerospace. This company, which has an employment potential of 800, is experiencing very grave difficulties. I understand a series of meetings are being held in Europe which will decide matters relevant to this company. Those meetings have been ill-served by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment who burst impetuously into print yesterday, and copies of the newspaper are now winging their way around various corners of the world.
Why is none of the three Ministers here to answer my question? Why was an attempt made to muzzle me on this matter when it was already in print? Will the Minister of State who is answering for the three Ministers in the Department of Enterprise and Employment give the House an account of the £23 million spent to date, the funding which is sought and an assurance that the 700 jobs in Shannon Aerospace will be maintained and consolidated?
