I thank the Ceann Comhairle for permitting me to raise this matter on the Adjournment and the Minister for attending. He has a great deal on his plate these days and I have no wish to add unduly to his burden.
As the House is aware, the dispute between Aer Lingus management and certain staffs of this company has now continued for some five weeks. During this official strike the company have maintained partial services in two ways, by transferring staff to the functional areas from which staffs have withdrawn their labour, and by leasing in outside carriers for such services. I put it to the Minister that this action has begun to give rise to some apprehension both within and without the company, and I am raising this question because I feel that the public at large, and indeed the staffs concerned, are entitled to absolute assurance from the Minister that the very highest, most stringent air safety standards are being maintained in the most rigorous manner possible in all of that company's current operations. I assure the Minister and the House that I do not raise a matter of this nature lightly on any occasion. I do so in the context of the outstanding record of the company in regard to air safety. That record we, as Members of this House, are well aware is one of the foremost in the world.
I raise the issue in three aspects. It has been strongly represented to me that, for example, the ad hoc cabin staffing and crewing arrangements of the company are somewhat open to question. It has been seriously suggested to me that the staff transferred into those areas of work could not possibly have been adequately trained in the periods suggested, that necessarily they would not have had sufficient experience in many aspects of the work and that their individual suitability to meet the stringent requirements laid down, not only by the company but also by the responsible Department, might not have been fully certified. I ask for specific assurance from the Minister in that regard.
Secondly, it has been represented to me that in this dispute there has been some relaxation apparently in some of the procedures, particularly in what we call the paper work procedures which have been meticulously and stringently enforced by the company over the years. That has given ground for comment and concern. I ask the Minister to note it and if possible to comment on it today and to assure us in that regard also.
Thirdly, a view has been expressed to me that perhaps greater care and caution and greater check-outs are needed and should be exercised in relation to the leasing of aircraft. For example, it has been alleged that one of those leased craft was involved in a serious emergency incident in London airport and that it was not fully equipped for that incident. I ask the Minister to take note of that situation and if possible to have it reviewed. He may wish to make some observations in that regard.
The Minister and I know each other personally quite well, and senior management staff of Aer Lingus and I over the years have had some dealings, particularly with the trade union concerned, and I am well aware of the situation. I trust that the Minister, his staff, the company and their staff will accept that I am making these observations in a cautious and responsible manner. As a public representative and as a regular passenger with Aer Lingus I have the utmost regard for the role of our national airline and it is my wish—and the wish, I am sure, of every Member of this House—that not only should Aer Lingus and their staff prosper but that their outstanding record be maintained. I look forward, as I am sure the Minister does also, to an amicable settlement of the protracted dispute and to an improvement in the climate of industrial relations in that company.
I would be entirely lacking in my responsibility as a public representative when points are made to me if I should fail to bring those matters to the attention of the Minister and the House and to seek the Minister's observations and assurance on them. It is, therefore, in that setting that I raise the matter here this evening. I appreciate that the Minister may not be in a position to reply, or that with the delicacy of an industrial relations situation within the company he may be very constrained in his reply. Having said as few words as possible on the matter and having taken as little time as possible here, I have nevertheless raised the matter and I ask the Minister to consider the points I have raised directly to him.
