Departments’ failures frustrate the mid-west

ANY chance the Government might have had of persuading Aer Lingus chief Dermot Mannion to change his mind about the transfer of slots to Belfast was effectively lost once the decision was announced in public on August 7.

Ultimately any such attempt by Bertie Ahern or Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to try and influence an airline boss who has already stood up to powerful trade unions would probably have fallen on deaf ears. It is certainly the fig-leaf various ministers have sought to grasp in recent weeks over the failure of the Government to act on early warnings about the closure of the Shannon-Heathrow route.

However, the people of the mid-west remain angry that the Taoiseach and his ministers never used the period before the story broke to prevent its closure.

Over the past week, the Irish Examiner has highlighted failures by government officials to convey details about the planned closure to their political masters during the summer.

What makes the situation all the more frustrating for people of the Shannon area is that these senior civil servants appeared conscious the route’s closure could have serious political fallout.

However, the chance for the Government (as a 25.35% shareholder) to raise the issue with Aer Lingus management away from the glare of the media during June, July and even the first week of August was lost.

As a result, questions remain about the operation of government departments after the revelation that another top-ranking official had prior knowledge of the planned route closure.

It has emerged today that the government secretary and head of the Department of the Taoiseach, Dermot McCarthy, was made aware of the situation on July 27.

He failed to pass the information to the Taoiseach, though the Cabinet was meeting 72 hours later.

It follows last week’s revelation by the Irish Examiner that a senior official in the Department of Transport was told by Aer Lingus on June 13 about the likely closure of Shannon-Heathrow as a result of the airline’s decision to establish a new base in Belfast. Department assistant secretary with responsibility for aviation matters, John Murphy, phoned Mr Mannion to find out what was being planned.

That day, executives in Dublin Airport Authority were made aware of the plans as a result of a request by the Department of Transport for information on the number of passengers using the route.

It subsequently emerged they too adopted a passive attitude in the conveying of important information to relevant parties, such as Shannon Airport Authority.

Also on June 13, an official drafted a note for the attention of the Transport Minister outlining the serious regional policy implications of the closure of Shannon-Heathrow.

However, it was never passed to Noel Dempsey after he took up the transport portfolio the next day.

Sadly for the people of the mid-west, the level of awareness at the highest level among Government officials about the issue resulted in an attitude of “no further action required”.