All of us are aware of the Government's decision last night to sell the 25% stake in Aer Lingus. Just to remind Members before the usual "75% was sold" is thrown back at me, the reason for the retention of the 25% was to protect the strategic interests of the State and Aer Lingus as an independent entity and, in particular, to ensure connectivity for this island nation and control over what happened to our main airline. In the past 12 months and particularly the past six months this situation has been choreographed towards a sale. I will remind people of how I debated the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013 in this Chamber with the Tánaiste, Deputy Joan Burton, when she started the attack on airport and Aer Lingus's pension scheme. That was the beginning of this process. The reason was to find a mechanism to wipe out a €740 million deficit in the pension scheme so as to make the company and the taxpayers' stake in it more attractive. For €340 million, the Government has effectively sacrificed Aer Lingus and airport pensioners - those who have taken 60% cuts in their pensions and 12-week cuts to their pensions in payments - and the 5,000 current workers who have been placed in an inferior pension scheme against their permission. This has all been done to facilitate a Labour Party and Fine Gael sale of the Aer Lingus stake for a grubby €340 million. Where is the Labour Party in all of this? What of its seven Deputies who stated a short couple of months ago that they would not under any circumstance support a sale, including Deputies Brendan Ryan, Joe Costello and so on? Where are the Labour Party's principles on this matter?

The 25% stake was retained to protect the strategic interests of the State and the airline. That is a fact. What the Government is proposing to do is to sell that stake to IAG. It has received false and non-binding commitments on the retention of the Heathrow Airport slots. If the 25% stake was retained, we would have influence over them. Now we will not. Cork and Shannon airports appear to have been thrown to the wolves. Let us not forget about them in all of this. Consider what has happened in other major airline takeovers. This will lead to a pooling of services and job losses. Aer Lingus's sphere of influence will move from Dublin to London.

From the word "go", Fine Gael has been about selling State assets and privatisation. That does not surprise me. Fine Gael is not a party of the working person and never has been. It has always been interested in profit. What of the Labour Party and the last vestiges of standing up for the working person and the airport as some of its members have pretended to do down the years and as others have done with distinction, including former Deputy Seán Ryan?

What will he and his brother, Deputy Brendan Ryan, do now in this regard?

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

I am asking for a proper debate on this issue. Will the Leader arrange such a debate? I flagged it yesterday with the Deputy Leader. It is appropriate we get an opportunity to read the report which, by the way, was only circulated this morning.

The Senator is way over time.

Just two seconds and I will be done. Rather than me proposing an amendment to the Order of Business to have the Minister come to the House today, as he will be in the Dáil for most of the day, will the Leader schedule a debate for tomorrow to deal with this issue? It will give us an opportunity to look at the report laid in the Oireachtas Library this morning. Why was the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications bypassed? Why has the Government seen it fit not to give this report to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications to ask questions of IAG and all other stakeholders? How come it has gone directly to the Dáil? Will the Leader schedule a debate on this issue with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, preferably for tomorrow? That would allow us the opportunity to ask several other questions of the Minister.

The Senator is way over time.

If the Minister intends selling Aer Lingus, will he use some of the moneys raised to defray the cuts the pensioners have suffered to enable this sale?

The Senator is way over time.

The money should be given back to the pensioners from whom 60% of their pensions were taken and the elderly from whom six weeks pay have been cut by the Government.

Well said.

It is hard to hear the hollow words of Senator Darragh O’Brien across the floor of the House.

Try something new.

Fianna Fáil effectively privatised Aer Lingus in 2006 by selling off the Government’s controlling share.

I have tried to explain this to the Senator before.

The Senator went way over his time. Will he, please, allow Senator Ivana Bacik to continue, without interruption?

I wonder why Fianna Fáil privatised Aer Lingus in 2006. I wonder why Fianna Fáil got rid of the Government’s controlling share.

We kept a 25% stake.

The Senator should be embarrassed.

I am not embarrassed at all. The Senator should be embarrassed as a Labour Party Member to stand over this deal and to sell the stake to British Airways.

The Senator has spoken already.

He should have been embarrassed when he stood up to suggest that, in some way, it was wonderful that Fianna Fáil preserved a 25% Government share for the sake of connectivity.

It was important.

I have already expressed my view. I would have preferred if the Government-----

It was an important share.

I did not interrupt the Senator, although I was very tempted to.

I can see that.

Senator Ivana Bacik to continue, without interruption.

I would appreciate the opportunity to speak on this matter. Personally, I would have preferred for the Government to have retained its 25% share. However, I note the agreement made is significantly improved on what was offered before. IAG has agreed to an indefinite Government veto on the disposal of the Heathrow Airport slots which guarantees State control of connectivity. According to Senator Darragh O’Brien, that is why Fianna Fáil so righteously preserved the 25% share. He has his answer. The Senator was also in favour of selling off 75% of the airline. Now that the Government has secured an agreement from IAG that there will be an indefinite Government veto-----

Does the Senator believe that?

Perhaps the Senator was not a Deputy then.

I had just done my leaving certificate.

A group of eight Labour Party Deputies have been committed to ensuring as good a deal for the workers and the travelling public is achieved. Last night, the group published a statement pointing out not only IAG’s agreement to the indefinite Government veto and, therefore, the guarantee of the State control of connectivity but also the commitment given on the registered employment agreements.

That will not give them enough cover to save them. The emperor has no clothes.

Like other Members, I am also reading through the details of the agreement. There is a commitment to 600 new jobs by 2020 and a net 150 new jobs by the end of next year. The 50 job losses being projected will be catered for through voluntary severance or deployment. Accordingly, we are going to see significant and enhanced growth in jobs as a result of this deal, should it come about.

We must also remember Ryanair controls 30% of Aer Lingus shares. Since Fianna Fáil sold off the Government controlling share in 2006, the Government has lost the ability to veto the sale.

Twenty five per cent was sold off today. Give me a break.

We must remind ourselves of Fianna Fáil's position on this issue.

Pathetic.

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?