The Minister for Transport insisted that he is going ahead with the break-up of Aer Rianta, adding that he will publish the necessary legislation shortly.
Mr Brennan said that his Cabinet colleague, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, fully supported the restructuring measures. "My Department is currently finalising the necessary amending legislation, and I will shortly seek Government approval for the publication of the State Airports Bill 2003 to give effect to the Government decision of July last."
The Labour spokeswoman on transport, Ms Róisín Shortall, said the Minister for Finance had been right to express "severe reservations" about the proposal. "As the shareholder, he is the one who is likely to end up in the High Court when the legal difficulties associated with the Minister's proposals are being dealt with?" She suggested that Mr Brennan might be rethinking the issue, now that he realised how complex it was.
Mr Brennan replied: "I am not rethinking it. The consultants have not been engaged to advise me on whether or not to proceed with the policy. The policy is settled and approved by the Government. I am determined to see the policy by the Government through to its final end, and I will.
"The consultants have been employed to work with the Minister for Finance and myself on the legitimate technical financial issues that arise when one is trying to establish three autonomous organisations. Those issues relate to debt, bonds, pensions and so on."
He said the Government had decided to establish the three State airports at Dublin, Shannon and Cork as fully independent and autonomous authorities under State ownership. "It is envisaged that the two independent airport authorities for Shannon and Cork will both commence business free of debt and that the debts associated with these airports, including the debt associated with the major new investment programme currently underway at Cork Airport, will remain with Dublin Airport."
