Vol. 458 No. 6
11 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his failure to achieve EU agreement on the final £50 million investment for Aer Lingus is costing the national airline dearly. [17435/95]
I totally reject the allegation in the Deputy's question which appears to be based on a misapprehension.
There has been no failure on my part, or indeed on anybody's part, to achieve European Commission agreement to the payment of the final tranche of equity to Aer Lingus.
The fact is that the Commission's authorisation for payment of the third and final tranche of equity under Aer Lingus' restructuring programme is not expected until December 1995.
As I stated before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Commercial State-sponsored Bodies on 7 November 1995, my main priority for Aer Lingus is to secure Commission approval for the payment of the final tranche of £50 million equity.
At that stage, I cautioned against complacency and stated that the Commission's decision should not be seen as a foregone conclusion.
The Government has furnished a report to the Commission outlining the success of Aer Lingus' restructuring programme. That report is currently being examined by consultants appointed by the Commission.
In the light of the most recent indications, I am optimistic that the Commission will authorise payment of the third and final tranche of equity to Aer Lingus.
