But Frazer-Nash is owned by one of them.

I appreciate that; I was going as fast as I could.

The Senator deserves the extra time. Some things are important. We can sit back and pretend these things do not happen but they are happening.

I will finish with this. We need the Minister in here to discuss search and rescue services and the forthcoming contract. We cannot allow a contract to go out while the report on Rescue 116 has not been published. The pilot of that helicopter had been awake for 18 hours when she was sent over to Blacksod. For God's sake-----

I appreciate that but we are here to hold the Government to account.

I have failed to bring this issue up anywhere.

Four people are dead. I have tried to bring this up everywhere but nobody is interested.

Well said.

I thank the Leader for that.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I find myself in the unusual position that I want to agree fully with my colleague. There should be representation from Munster, Galway or Connacht on any airport authority. We need to have a national view, and all laughing and joking aside, I totally agree with Senator Buttimer on this point. He has been advocating for this for some time now and I ask that the Minister of State take this point on board and have discussions with the DAA on this matter to ensure that we have a go…

I support what the Senator has said. It is a different thing entirely to take an Oireachtas Member and exclude him or her from board membership. That is probably right because legislation, etc., comes through both Houses. Local authority members, however, bring a wealth of experience and local knowledge to a board. That is something the Minister of State should look at over time.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 40, after line 37, to insert the following: "Amendment of Act of 1993 - Licence Holders Forum 59. The Act of 1993 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 14: "Licence Holders Forum 14A. (1) The Irish Aviation Authority shall establish a standing body to serve as the collective statutory collaborative and consultative forum in relation to air safety and its regulation between the Irish Aviation Authority and persons or bodies that it licenses or authorises w…

I thank the Minister of State for being willing to listen. The Senator hit the nail on the head in saying we are talking about pilots first. Anybody who has watched the programme Senator Buttimer adverted to, on air accident investigations, will realise flying is about a number of small steps that must all be taken in the correct order. A pilot must not be afraid to report. There cannot be circumstances in which pilots feel the employer is the only person they can go to. I could cite examples concerning the pressur…

I hear what the Minister of State is saying. I spent four years at the top of trade unionism, and in that time I learned that you can work within rules and lay down procedures that both sides can adhere to, though maybe not as rigidly as we are trying to do here. You can have regulations and rules to which people must adhere to resolve difficulties. I will push a vote on this. I understand the Minister of State's position. I ask that, if I lose the vote, she will consider a statutory instrument to protect the pilot…

I have no doubt about the Minister of State's commitment to date. She has always been an honourable person and I accept her bona fides. My comments are not directed at her at all but she will not always be in her post.

The Minister of State will move on to greater and better things and she may finish up as Taoiseach, which would be great for Galway. We are talking about the current organisation and not her. We have all said that there is a toxicity in that organisation at the moment. Perhaps a new CEO or chairman will make all of that better but I do not know. This debate is not about the Minister of State and never was; it is about the IAA and the relationship that exists between pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, cabin…

I join with Senator Boylan on the issue of animals. My dog of 11 years died recently and I wanted to replace him. As one cannot find pups in the various rescue centres at the moment, I decided to search online and discovered that puppies are being sold for up to €3,000 each. Let us think about the outrageous amount of money that can be earned from one litter of pups. There also are puppy farms where female dogs are forced to quickly produce litter after litter of pups. As the money that is involved in this game is …

Today, the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Major-General Seán Clancy, takes over an organisation that is in very poor shape. I wish him the very best. There is a new Secretary General in the Department and I know that she will work with him to try to rebuild the force. My colleague spoke about front-line workers and of how those who worked in the medical sector should be treated differently when it comes to recognition for their work. We have to be honest about this. What about truck and bus drivers? Truc…

I welcome the Minister of State and I welcome the Bill she is bringing before the House, although at this point it does not go far enough, and we will talk about that shortly. As Senator Buttimer has pointed out, the last two years have been a very difficult time for the aviation industry. Indeed, the Oireachtas transport committee has spent an extraordinary amount of time looking at the rebuilding of the air transport communication system for the country. I compliment Senators Dooley and Buttimer on their input in…

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for taking the time to meet the women of honour today. I will place on record the concerns my former colleagues in the Defences Forces have. The nature of the complaints being brought forward by the Women of Honour, brave women that they are, and the things they talk about tend to happen behind closed doors and in secret. The few perpetrators who are involved in this horrendous activity have brought the entire Defence Forces organisation into disrepute. The independ…