I find it somewhat amusing that a number of speakers have called for a debate on the sale of Aer Lingus. I am just trying to figure out how much more time we can spend debating the sale. This issue has been ongoing for five, if not six, months.

The Government only decided yesterday evening.

Senator David Cullinane has said Sinn Féin knows, Fianna Fáil knows, the Independents know-----

We will not bother talking about it at all then.

-----and everybody knows that it is not right for Ireland.

That is fair enough.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan should be allowed to speak without interruption.

I find it somewhat hypocritical of Fianna Fáil to state anything when it sold 74.9% of Aer Lingus several years ago.

I will tell you what, do not worry about it. We will just forget about it. No problem.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan should be allowed to speak without interruption.

Senator Darragh O'Brien said we had held on to 25% or 24.9%-----

It is 25.1%.

-----to protect jobs, pensions and the landing slots.

Yes.

That commentary is just for populist reasons and it is not true. There is nothing to be afraid of whatsoever. I like to look at the big picture-----

That is fair enough then.

-----not the sentiment of losing the brand of Aer Lingus, which we will not lose. That is really good for Ireland. After all, one must remember that in the big picture Aer Lingus is only a tiny little operator on the world scene and an IAG takeover of Aer Lingus will be good for Ireland. However, I will get to the point I wish to make, which would also be somewhat inclusive of Aer Lingus. I refer to the stunning reports from the CSO this morning on the growth of tourism alone this year. Between January and April, the numbers are up by 13.5%. A total of 1.8 million more visitors have come to the country in the period. There has been an increase in visitor numbers of 20% from North America. Visitor numbers from Europe have increased by 14.7%. Visitor numbers from Great Britain alone have increased by nearly 10%, while visitor numbers from the rest of the world have increased by 23%. That is all part of the Government's economic strategy of investing in tourism and it has proved to be an enormous contribution to economic recovery, in particular in rural areas where jobs have been on the increase. Initiatives such as the Wild Atlantic Way and now Ireland's Ancient East are adding to it and we expect further growth.

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

I expect the growth of Aer Lingus and tourism through the ownership of IAG will prove the Government is right in continuing with the debate and coming to the overall conclusion that Aer Lingus should be passed on to IAG.

It seems on the face of it that the sale of the national airline to a foreign company is now a fait accompli. That is why so many people are confused and stunned about what is happening. With hindsight, the debate which has taken place in recent months was disingenuous because we did not have any information to debate. It is now that the debate should start. The matter should go before an Oireachtas committee in order that the report which is available to the Government could be examined. Then we could come back to the Seanad and have a proper debate. Aer Lingus is a good national brand. It is a PR brand for us also. It is also a brand for many of our emigrants, and a symbol of who we are as a people and the manner in which we developed and were able to take on board independence and to sustain sovereignty. They are all big questions. One must ask whether the recession has killed that sense in us as a people. Are we frightened by the prospect that there might be greater competition in the aviation business? That is what is being said. I find it very difficult to understand that people who were capable of setting up a national airline and who showed the strength of character and commitment to ourselves as a people in control of our own destiny could after all of that arrive at a situation where we no longer have that tenacity of character. I suggest that if we are going to debate this issue, which we should debate because people want us to debate it, the first thing that should happen is for the report to go before a committee and that ample time be given to examine it. I think when we start to unravel the report, we will not be happy with the legal guarantees. I do not believe they are enforceable and with the passage of time, in three, four or five years, we will forget about them. The problem is that we will then be at a point of no return. As Senator Darragh O'Brien has stated, as an island nation it is an absolutely vital imperative for us to have an airline of our own over which there is democratic control and at the same time that we can act in the best interests of the people.