I move:
That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Standing Order 128(1) of the Standing Orders Relative to Public Business, directs that the State Airports Bill 2004 in whole be recommitted to a Committee of the whole House.
State Airports Bill 2004: Motion to Recommit.
Does the Minister oppose the motion?
I will put the question.
I wish to comment on the motion. This is a lengthy and complex Bill, which is technical in nature. It was published early last week and the House was expected to take it within 48 hours of its publication. That was unfair to Members of the House. This is an important Bill which has serious implications for the taxpayer but also for the future viability of our three airports. Many thousands of families rely on our three airports for their livelihoods.
Committee Stage of the Bill was taken over ten hours last Thursday, with a number of amendments tabled. The transcripts of that debate are still not available and will not be available until later this evening. In fairness to Members of this House who are trying to do their business properly, it is only right that we should have an opportunity to read through the transcripts of Committee Stage before considering the amendments to be tabled for Report Stage. I am also concerned about the fact that additional amendments from the Minister were circulated at lunch time today which Members have not had an opportunity to consider. In view of the fact that the Bill is not scheduled to be taken in the Seanad this week, and the Leader has said that time will not be available because the schedule is full, there is no reason we should rush the Bill through this House tonight.
My principal reason for proposing recommittal of the Bill is the information that has been brought to the attention of the House today by the Labour Party leader, Deputy Rabbitte, in respect of the legal advice to the board of Aer Rianta on the likely implications for the bond holders of any move by the Government to enact this legislation and commence the break-up of the company. There are serious implications in respect of the bond holders and a strong possibility that as soon as action is taken by Government, the bond holders would move to call in their loans. That raises major issues for the solvency of the company. For these substantial reasons, I strongly urge the House to support this motion to recommit the Bill.
I support Deputy Shortall in the points she raised. She is correct. We spent ten hours debating Committee Stage of the Bill last week and we received no answers from the Minister in regard to the detail of his proposals. The Government members of the committee were dumb-struck last week. There was not a word from them in respect of amendments put forward or concerns raised on any section of the Bill, with the exception of the final section when an issue regarding property was raised.
Serious concerns have been raised by the bond holders with the board of Aer Rianta. Deputy Rabbitte also raised a critical point about the viability of the future of the three airports, which will be in State ownership and could give rise to a significant liability on behalf of the State if this legislation is enacted without these concerns being addressed. The Minister has not provided us with information to support the case he is putting forward, and no one supported him on that in committee.
This legislation is being rammed through the House. It was published the week before last and the House took Second Stage. Committee Stage was taken last Thursday. We do not have the transcripts of that to allow us put forward reasoned amendments on Report Stage. Key questions have been raised but no one appears to be able to answer them, including the Minister. The practice in the past has been that the detail of a Bill would be discussed on Committee Stage. That did not happen last Thursday and the transcripts, when they are available, will highlight that answers or additional information were not provided on Committee Stage. For that reason, Deputy Shortall is correct in moving a motion to recommit the Bill and giving the Minister an opportunity to record some detail regarding his proposals.
The Green Party supports Deputy Shortall's proposal and believes that much of what has been said is self-evident. This is yet another legislative measure that is being rushed through the House without proper consideration by Members. Of all such legislative measures, this is probably the one which has the greatest ramification in terms of how the State agency concerned is likely to provide a service for the State in the future and the way taxpayers' money will be used to the best possible effect.
Issues concerning procedures must also be addressed. For smaller political parties, particularly those without direct membership of the Select Committee on Transport, to be expected to contribute on Report Stage while the Committee Stage transcripts are not yet available is a further imposition. The Minister for Transport has tabled 21 amendments on Report Stage, which comes to one quarter of the total. The majority of those 21 amendments are towards the end of the Bill. There will be 100 minutes devoted to Report Stage which represents one minute for every tabled amendment. On each of these grounds, it is unacceptable that such a Bill be presented without the House's ability to give it due consideration. Deputy Shortall's motion must be supported by the House.
I support Deputy Shortall's motion to recommit the Bill. The Minister for Transport did not answer many of the questions raised because he does not have the answers. He is rushing this Bill for his own particular reasons while no rationale or business plan has been presented. Sinn Féin has made clear its opposition to the Bill through previous interventions in this Chamber and on Committee Stage. The Minister's plans to privatise public transport must be resisted at every turn. There will no lengthy debate on these Report Stage amendments and most will not even be reached. The argument is also made that the Seanad will not have time to deal with the Bill. However, the core issue is that the questions raised by Members have not been answered by the Minister. He has had many an opportunity to answer them yet it seems he does not have the answers.
For ideological reasons and without proper planning, the Minister for Transport proposes the breaking-up of the national airports. He is also proposing the privatisation of CIE and Aer Lingus. With tunnel vision, he is set to ignore the needs of the people——
Will the Deputy speak to the motion?
I am speaking to the motion.
The Deputy is not. This motion has nothing to do with CIE.
I am speaking to a motion to recommit the Bill. I am speaking to the legislation itself. There are a variety of reasons the Minister for Transport has not answered the questions raised by Members. However, no rationale has been outlined for this Bill. I support Deputy Shortall's proposal. I have no doubt that the Government will proceed with the legislation. However, no answers will be given by the Minister because he does not have them.
I endeavoured to answer all questions as best I could over ten hours on Committee Stage and the five hours on Second Stage. Many of the amendments tabled on Report Stage are variations of Committee Stage ones. Some are even identical. There is not much new material in these Report Stage amendments.
That is not true.
The Minister did not endeavour to answer questions.
Question put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 50; Níl, 60.
Tá
- Allen, Bernard.
- Boyle, Dan.
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burton, Joan.
- Connolly, Paudge.
- Costello, Joe.
- Crawford, Seymour.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cuffe, Ciarán.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Enright, Olwyn.
- Ferris, Martin.
- Gregory, Tony.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Hayes, Tom.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Higgins, Joe.
- Hogan, Phil.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lynch, Kathleen.
- McCormack, Padraic.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Paul.
- McManus, Liz.
- Mitchell, Olivia.
- Morgan, Arthur.
- Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Neville, Dan.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- O’Keeffe, Jim.
- O’Shea, Brian.
- O’Sullivan, Jan.
- Pattison, Seamus.
- Perry, John.
- Quinn, Ruairí.
- Rabbitte, Pat.
- Ryan, Seán.
- Sargent, Trevor.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Stanton, David.
- Twomey, Liam.
- Upton, Mary.
- Wall, Jack.
Níl
- Ahern, Dermot.
- Ahern, Michael.
- Ahern, Noel.
- Andrews, Barry.
- Brady, Martin.
- Brennan, Seamus.
- Browne, John.
- Callanan, Joe.
- Carey, Pat.
- Carty, John.
- Cassidy, Donie.
- Coughlan, Mary.
- Cullen, Martin.
- Curran, John.
- Davern, Noel.
- Dempsey, Tony.
- Dennehy, John.
- Devins, Jimmy.
- Fitzpatrick, Dermot.
- Gallagher, Pat The Cope.
- Glennon, Jim.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Hanafin, Mary.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Hoctor, Máire.
- Jacob, Joe.
- Keaveney, Cecilia.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Kelly, Peter.
- Killeen, Tony.
- Kitt, Tom.
- Lenihan, Brian.
- McCreevy, Charlie.
- McDaid, James.
- McDowell, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Moloney, John.
- Moynihan, Donal.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Mulcahy, Michael.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- O’Connor, Charlie.
- O’Dea, Willie.
- O’Donnell, Liz.
- O’Keeffe, Batt.
- O’Keeffe, Ned.
- O’Malley, Fiona.
- O’Malley, Tim.
- Parlon, Tom.
- Power, Peter.
- Power, Seán.
- Sexton, Mae.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Treacy, Noel.
- Wallace, Mary.
- Walsh, Joe.
- Woods, Michael.
- Wright, G.V.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Stagg and Durkan; Níl, Deputies Hanafin and Kelleher.
Question declared lost.