I am not sure I actually understand that they are technical amendments. I understand the Minister of State as saying they are updating in respect of accounting practices that we no longer do in respect of the lines that are being removed. In my world we certainly still have cash flow statements, balance sheets and audited accounts. We are withdrawing these words as if there is no requirement of a responsibility or obligation for this part of the agency to report, but we are not replacing them with anything. I am no…

I hope this will not slow us down at all. I would ask that the amendments are not discussed together. I ask that amendments Nos. 9 and 10 be taken together because they are the same; amendment No. 11 to be taken on its own; amendments Nos. 12 and 13 to be taken together; amendment No. 14 to be taken as a stand-alone; and amendment No. 15 to be taken as a stand-alone.

While they are all amendments to the specific section, they are very different in their requirements or asks. They are not connected. For the sake of argument, one of the amendments as to the timing of the meetings has nothing to do with the membership of the committee, which has nothing to do with the election of a chair of the committee. While they are all amendments to the same section, they are in respect of distinctly different things and I would like them to be spoken to and voted on separately.

I do not think we will be moving amendment No. 10 because it is exactly the same as amendment No. 9. For the record, I want to say I am very grateful to the Minister of State for her acceptance of this amendment.

I have no idea what that actually means. Would the Minister of State mind explaining it again? I can see the value of having it in there but I do not see what it does by taking it out.

I thank the Minister of State for taking on board the amendments we proposed on Committee Stage. It is very important not only to have the number of organisations cited in the legislation, but also the specificity of the organisations that are being invited. It is important that we put this out at the very beginning. Heretofore, I had argued that the large number of organisations the Minister of State is proposing to invite will probably prove very frustrating in the context of the body of work to be done. This may…

I move amendment No. 14 In page 55, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “(aa) electing a chair of the Forum by members of the Forum”.

Notwithstanding our previous amendment, the Minister of State has agreed to determine the rules and procedures of the forum, including the composition of membership, in order to ensure good representation. What is missing from all of the legislation so far is who is going to chair the forum once it has been established. Amendment No. 14 seeks to insert the phrase "electing a chair of the Forum by members of the Forum". This would then be one of the first actions of the forum when it convenes. There is some real con…

I am sorry Leas-----

I am the proposer of the amendment. I can speak twice.

Again, I am not even sure what the term "in consultation" means. Is this in consultation with the members of the forum, who have yet to be decided upon and whose names will be put on the website? The chair of the IAA who is the regulatory authority will consult on who should be the chair of the forum before the forum commences, and that it would be rubber stamped on the day. This is probably what the Minister of State has just summed up. This is not best practice for any organisation with anything I have ever been …

I move amendment No. 15: In page 55, to delete lines 12 to 16 and substitute the following: “(4) (a) At its first meeting, the stakeholder forum will establish a sub-group of the stakeholder forum, referred to as the licence holders sub-forum, comprising representatives of licence holders and attested cabin crew, including but not limited to the following: (i) operators; (ii) pilots; (iii) cabin crew; (iv) engineers; (v) air traffic controllers. (b) The licence holders sub-forum will: (i) hold at least two meetings…

On Committee Stage we agreed to establish the forum which is now a stakeholders' forum rather than a licenceholders' forum. It is a very large group of people which has value in the sharing of information, particularly around safety. However, I am concerned that a very large group of people are now responsible for creating and drafting a licenceholders' charter. We know how important the licenceholders' charter is in steering and establishing a roadmap, guidance and all the regulatory frameworks that we expect our …

As far as the Minister of State is concerned, there is nothing stopping the IAA from doing this. There is nothing stopping it doing anything it wants to do. It just has not done it to date, for the past 25 or 30 years. That is the concern. The lack of trust that currently exists in respect of engagements between licenceholders and the IAA has caused us to find ourselves at a point where we are perhaps trying to be, as the Minister of State put it, too prescriptive in legislation. The reason for that is the lack of …

I move amendment No. 16. In page 56, to delete lines 3 to 39, and in page 57, to delete lines 1 to 4 and substitute the following: “65B. (1) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), the company will, at no more than three-year intervals, conduct a review of the effectiveness of airline provisions concerning crew peer support programmes. (b) The company will, not later than 12 months after the commencement of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022 , conduct a review.(c) The company will publish on the company’s website a re…

The purpose of this amendment is to amend section 77, which seeks to review crew peer support programmes that are in existence arising from the EASA regulations that were introduced a number of years ago. There have been many hours of conversation not only between Senators and the Minister of State but also between Senators and the CEO designate - who is no longer CEO designate - with regard to the culture of mistrust that exists that I mentioned in connection with the previous amendment. What I am proposing are sm…

I accept what the Minister of State said, except for two points. She has made me even more concerned than I was when I stood up. She seems to be under the impression that peers or people who currently work in airlines have to go to the peer support person in their own airline. She has stated this is the current practice. This is not the current practice and it is not precluded by EASA regulations. We absolutely have licence holders going to peers outside their own airlines at present because, as the Minister of Sta…

I thank everybody for their co-operation. This has probably been the longest debate on a Bill I have ever been involved in other than the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act a number of years ago, which took a while. As I said, I believe the Bill is better today than it was when it arrived in this House but it still has some major flaws because of its omissions. Having said that, I thank the Minister of State for her engagement. She has always been respectful of our ambitions. I hope we never find ourselves i…

I also welcome Ambassador Nader on his return visit to Ireland. My son did an Erasmus programme in Austria a number of years ago and was made very welcome. I hope the ambassador is also receiving a warm welcome here. I also draw my colleagues' attention to the presence of Mr. Conor Dolphin in the Visitors Gallery. He is from Galway to do intern work with us and is very welcome. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the sitting and business of the Seanad on Thursday, 27 October 2022, to be taken on conclu…

I join you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, in those congratulations. It is lovely when somebody else, not just your own, recognises your brilliance. I wish the Cathaoirleach congratulations and continued success. Senators Dolan, Carrigy, Ahearn and Lombard have looked for probably two debates. One is about special schools and their locations and, particularly, the length of the journeys some of our children have to make in the morning just to attend a special school in the absence of having one in their own locality. There …