Shannon saga - Independent report badly needed

The Opposition was in full cry yesterday, attacking Transport Minister Noel Dempsey in relation to what he knew and when he first learnt about the Aer Lingus decision to move its Heathrow operations from Shannon to Belfast.

It is still not clear when the minister actually learnt about the planned move, but there is no doubt he should have been aware on his first day in office on June 14, 2007.

Documents obtained by the Irish Examiner under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that a member of management in the Department of Transport drew up a document on June 13 for the minister’s attention, warning of the impending decision. The assistant secretary of the department was so concerned about that information that he contacted Dermot Mannion, the chief executive of Aer Lingus, on the same day to discuss the matter.