Bertie is silent on promised break-up of Aer Rianta

THE Taoiseach would not state yesterday whether he backs the plan to break up Aer Rianta into three independent State-owned companies, despite calls from several groups for him to make a public statement.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan was due to bring his plans for the break of Aer Rianta to Cabinet in May but this has now been postponed until the end of July.

Limerick Chamber of Commerce president John Rice said he had heard on the grapevine that the Taoiseach and Government were not going to deliver on their commitments to break up Aer Rianta.

“The Government gave a commitment in the Programme for Government to give independence to Shannon and Cork. We now want to know what is happening,” Mr Rice stated in a letter to both Mr Ahern and Mr Brennan.

Ryanair has also called on the Taoiseach to back Mr Brennan’s plans and demonstrate his commitment to competitiveness which he outlined in detail at the IMI conference earlier this year.

“It’s decision time for Bertie Ahern and his Government. Competition works, it reduces prices, improves services, promotes tourism and creates jobs,” said the Ryanair spokesman.

However, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is opposed to the plan because it believes it will lead to job losses across the company. The Taoiseach has given Congress a commitment that they would be consulted about any proposed break-up of a State company. Both Mr Ahern and Mr Brennan met with ICTU general secretary David Begg and SIPTU representatives last month to discuss their concerns about the break-up of the company

While Mr Brennan’s spokesman insisted yesterday that the break-up of Aer Rianta is proceeding as planned, the Taoiseach’s spokeswoman could not say for definite if Mr Ahern is supporting the plan.

“The Taoiseach will not make a comment on this proposal until it has been brought to Cabinet,” she said. “It is unfair and presumptuous to presume that he is not supporting it.”

Asked if the Taoiseach had made any decisions on the ICTU demand that Aer Rianta would not be broken up into three independent companies, his spokeswoman said: “I have no comment to make on that.”

Ryanair believes that Mr Brennan’s plans to break up Aer Rianta will get rid of the present monopoly and promote competition by allowing Shannon and Cork to compete with Dublin.

The proposed second privately run independent terminal at Dublin Airport must also go ahead, if there is to be true competition there, a Ryanair spokesman said.

A Department of Transport spokesman said that no final decision has yet been made on the second privately run terminal at Dublin airport.

In the meantime, Aer Rianta has indicated that it will go ahead with its plans for a second terminal at Dublin Airport.