Yesterday, the Taoiseach marked four years of this Fine Gael-Labour Party neoliberal Government. Today, that same agenda is creating huge uncertainty among Aer Lingus workers, their families and the communities who depend on Aer Lingus for employment and connectivity. This anxiety has been created by the Government refusing to reject decisively the bid by IAG to buy the Government's shares. It is a decision that could see us relinquish any public control over the airline and this island's aviation bridge to the rest of the world, leaving foreign-owned private companies whose only concern is profit with full control over access in and out of this country.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has sent IAG off with a little tut-tut to come back with a better price in the next few weeks, but the consequences for this country will last far longer than it will take to spend the bag of silver the Government will get for any sale of Aer Lingus. Not only would this country lose a profitable company, something the Government spends a fortune sending IDA Ireland out to find, there are massive implications for north Dublin, Cork, Shannon and the Limerick regions which are struggling in the recession.

We are told relentlessly by the media that poor little Aer Lingus will not survive alone, but poor little Aer Lingus has been making healthy profits for years. In 2013, it made an operating profit of €61.1 million. The Taoiseach might tell some of his young Deputies like the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, if they can contain themselves for a moment with the flattery and attention from this multinational company, that Aer Lingus does not need IAG.

Pearls of wisdom.

IAG needs Aer Lingus. That is the view of the Aer Lingus pilots and many others.

A question, please.

Aer Lingus has a jewel that other airlines want to get their hands on, namely, the Heathrow slots, which have been valued by Deloitte at €925 million but are invaluable to this country. Would the Taoiseach agree that the cast iron guarantee that the Government is seeking on connectivity is pathetic and would be non-existent after five years-----

Sorry, Deputy; would you put your question?

-----as would be all of the jobs in airline catering, flight maintenance and many other areas? The brand itself would likely be integrated very quickly-----

Sorry, Deputy. Would you put your question? Thank you.

-----as has been the pattern with other takeovers. I put it to the Taoiseach that selling off the remaining public stake in Aer Lingus would be economic and social treachery. Will the Government right the wrong that Fianna Fáil did ten years ago by privatising Aer Lingus in the first instance? Will it throw aside its ideological attachment to privatisation and not only refuse to sell off the 25% stake but establish full public ownership of Aer Lingus in the months ahead?

What will we buy it with?

Sorry, Deputy. Would you resume your seat? You are way over time.

If the Government can invest taxpayers' money in the banks, surely it can invest taxpayers' money in a strategic asset such as Aer Lingus-----

The whistle has gone.

-----which links us with the US and Europe.

Sorry, Deputy. Would you obey the Chair, please?

Do not forget about the Aer Lingus pensioners.

This is an important matter. Deputy Coppinger appears to be of the view that the Government should acquire Aer Lingus in its entirety. This would cost about €1 billion. The Deputy will be aware that the Government rejected the bid from IAG.

In 2012, the Government decided that consideration could be given to the sale of the shares held by the State in Aer Lingus in the context of the sale of a number of assets that might be disposed of if the price and conditions of any such sale were in the best interests of the people. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe, is very clear on that. Issues such as the Heathrow slots, connectivity to the United States and operations at Shannon, Cork and Dublin Airports are matters of genuine concern and interest to workers, their families and other people in localities and environs of Dublin, Cork and Shannon. It is already public knowledge that there will be a further meeting between officials of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and IAG this week. Obviously, the Department will inform the Minister of the issues presented by IAG during that discussion. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has not made, and is not in a position to make, a recommendation to the Government. The conditions set out by Government in regard to Aer Lingus are clear. This airline was privatised a number of years ago under a different Administration. The Government now holds a 25.1% stake in Aer Lingus on behalf of the people. The conditions set by it in terms of consideration of any offer are clear and have not been met in any discussions that have taken place to date.

The taxpayer spends billions in supporting the so-called enterprise and employment sector in this country. It appears to me from the Taoiseach's response that the Government is well disposed towards selling off the remaining public control of Aer Lingus. This means that very shortly thousands of jobs not only in north Dublin but in Cork, Limerick and the Shannon area will be jeopardised.

I am not sure if the Taoiseach read the article by the economist Paul Sweeney last Friday in which he made an excellent case not only for the retention of the State's 25% shareholding in Aer Lingus but for the Government to seek to buy, for example, Ryanair's shares, which will most likely become available soon. The case was extremely well made that the Government should snap those up. How is regional development to be protected if a private company controls Aer Lingus? As it stands, any scale-down of operations in, for example, Cork Airport would have a devastating impact. Owing to the recession and the withdrawal of the Shannon stopovers, Limerick is on its knees. There are huge issues at stake.

It is a pity there is no member of the Labour Party in the House to hear this debate.

There are a couple of us here.

Deputy Lyons is minding the shop.

There are two members here. Deputy Higgins is blocking Deputy Coppinger's view.

Sorry, Deputy Coppinger. Would you put your question, please? Thank you.

Will the Taoiseach say why the Government is so ideologically opposed to maintaining its stake in Aer Lingus or re-nationalising it?

Deputy Coppinger mentioned multinationals. First, multinationals employ huge numbers of people in her constituency.

So does Aer Lingus.

The Deputy should bear that in mind when commenting on investment from abroad. Second, the Deputy stated that Aer Lingus is a publicly owned company. It is not. The Government holds a minority shareholding in Aer Lingus, the details of which I have pointed out to the Deputy. Third, the Government has announced a specific regional development strategy covering a range of areas. Limerick is not on its knees; it is fighting back strongly. I was in Limerick on Friday for the announcement of a further 300 jobs at Northern Trust, bringing overall employment at the company to over 1,000 by 2017. The Government decision through which the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport gave Shannon Airport its independence is an indication of what Shannon can and will achieve in the time ahead. I do not accept the Deputy's comment at all.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, prior to bringing a specific recommendation to Government, is required to obtain clarity on the issues relating to Shannon, Cork and Dublin, the Heathrow slots and guaranteed connectivity across the Atlantic.

There is no guarantee.

What about the Aer Lingus pensioners?

The Deputy will understand that Dublin and Shannon airports are among the few airports at which one can get pre-clearance for the United States, which is a major feather in Ireland's cap. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will continue to monitor this closely. The outcome of the meeting this week between officials of his Department and IAG will be brought to his attention. We will keep this matter under close scrutiny in the context of the conditions set out, including-----

So Aer Lingus is to be sold?

-----whether the price is acceptable, whether the conditions are acceptable, and whether it is in the interests of Ireland and of its people.

No.

As pointed out by others, one has to look carefully at the consequences of not considering seriously whatever final opportunity or option might be presented.

Which are?