Bríd Smith objects to Ryanair-linked CEO for Irish Aviation Authority
Bríd Smith criticised the appointment of a new CEO to the Irish Aviation Authority, arguing the appointee's background with Ryanair undermines consumer and worker protections. She described the appointment as "equivalent to putting the fox in charge of the hen house" and asked whether the Cabinet had discussed the decision.
Main allegation
The deputy argued that placing a CEO from Ryanair at the helm of the revamped Irish Aviation Authority risks weakening oversight of safety and consumer rights at airlines and airports and is an insult to aviation workers and passengers.
Specific complaints cited
She cited Ryanair's "appalling record" on treatment of workers and consumers, including long delays for refunds, thousands of passengers left waiting after cancellations, alleged sackings during COVID-19, and breaches of health and safety and AIASA regulations — including staff repeatedly serving passengers and selling alcohol during flights.
Government response
The Taoiseach responded that statutory agencies conduct proper recruitment processes, that the government cannot politically vet every state appointment, and defended aviation as a major job creator and a success for the Irish economy. He also rejected the deputy's framing of government policy as "neoliberal".
Outstanding questions
Deputy Smith pressed for comment on the appointment and its implications for regulation and worker protections. The Taoiseach said he would check whether it was permissible to speak about an individual outside the House and reiterated confidence in established recruitment procedures.
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Tishek, I want to raise with you and ask if the Cabinet have had a discussion on the newly revamped Irish Aviation Authority and the appointment of its new CEO. He's due to take up that appointment on the 1st of January 2021, but yet he comes from a company that has an appalling record on both issues that his new job will enforce him to look after. Ryanair have an appalling record on the treatment of workers and indeed on the treatment of consumers, with many passengers waiting long, long periods of time for refunds and thousands left waiting for cancellations to be dealt with. So I know the new authority is going to look after both consumer rights and the question of safety on our airlines and at our airports, but I think this is equivalent to putting the fox in charge of the hen house to give this job as CEO of the newly revamped Irish Aviation Authority to somebody headed from this company. And we also have widespread complaints from the industry and Ryanair in particular across Europe of abuse of workers' rights with the COVID situation being used to sack workers, to breach the regulations from AIASA in terms of dealing with passengers, having to sell alcohol and tickets and go up and down the flights, touching off and dealing with passengers multiple times during a flight and breaching the health and safety guidelines from AIASA. So will you please comment on the appointment, which I think is a huge insult to the aviation workers and passengers alike and tells us really all we need to know about Ireland's low regulation and neoliberal approach to this very, very important industry. In terms of Deputy Smith's issue and the Irish Aviation Authority, again, I'm not clear whether it's permissible to be speaking in respect of an individual who's not a member of the house and who, my understanding is, I'd check it out, but would have gone through normal recruitment processes. I don't run the Irish Aviation Authority. The Ciroctus, through the government, creates agencies. They're statutorily based. They go through their proper recruitment processes. And I think there's, you know, we can't be politically vetting everybody who's going for state appointments. And the reality is that aviation in this country has provided thousands and thousands of jobs and actually has been one of the success stories of the last 30 years. And I know that the deputy would attack what is termed neoliberal policies, which I don't accept. I think that the degree of state intervention in Ireland is very significant, and that should never be denied in respect of the model of the Irish economy. But there's thousands and thousands of jobs have been created through a successful aviation strategy, which has helped our hospitality and tourism industry pre-COVID no end, and a wide range of other employments from foreign direct investment to our own small, medium and our own indigenous large companies who need that air connectivity. So it's not all one-way negativity, as one would believe. And I would have to put it to Deputy Smith, to Deputy Murphy, Barry, and Deputy Boyd Barrett, that their economic model would not work in Ireland. And I believe would create thousands and thousands of jobs and redundancies if their model was ever applied. And I think that has to be stated. Because I think it's at a minimum a very flawed economic model that's being proposed. And I think it's at a minimum a very big cost. And I think that we're going to do a minimum a wide range of people in Ireland. And I think that's it. And there's a minimum a lot of people who have done that in Ireland, which I think is being proposed to in Ireland. Because of all, people have created this pandemic to be changed. And it's at the same time, we have to do a lot of people in Ireland. I think that the right hand is a family person in Ireland, these are the best. And that's what I think of an understanding of the world. And that's a very impressive thing. It's a lot of people who have if the country has been there. And that's one of our students behind the education system in Ireland. And that's a lot of the impact on an island that people have been in the past.
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