Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 November 2012
278. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to provide continued training to the trainee pilots of PTC Waterford; his plans to put in place an interim compensation scheme for affected pilots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53563/12]
View answer279. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport following the recent meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications on 24 October 2012 on the issue of PTC Waterford, his plans to refer this case to the Director of Corporate enforcement. [53564/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together.
On 28 September last the High Court ordered the liquidation of the Pilot Training College Waterford (PTC). Unfortunately PTC is not an isolated example – there have been other similar failures in other European Member States in the recent past, including in the UK, where students also suffered losses. I fully understand the frustrations of the students and their families who have lost considerable sums of money to PTC and while I have great sympathy for their plight, neither the Government, nor the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), have any liability in this regard; the taxpayer cannot be liable for the failures of private sector companies. Accordingly there are no plans to set up a compensation scheme.
The IAA has worked with other approved flight training centres to explore how the students involved might be facilitated in completing their training elsewhere either in Florida or in Ireland at as reasonable a cost as possible; I am informed that many students are continuing their training.
I understand that a complaint has been made to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in relation to this company and that body is the appropriate body to investigate any potential breaches of company law.
