No Government cover-up on Shannon, says Cowen
The Government is not involved in a political conspiracy to cover-up advance knowledge of the axing of Heathrow slots at Shannon Airport, Tánaiste Brian Cowen told the Dáil.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said it was unbelievable that high-ranking officials knew in advance of August's Aer Lingus decision but never told the Cabinet or the Minister for Transport.
Mr Cowen said he rejected any suggestion of any political conspiracy or cover-up on the part of the Government.
Raising the issue during the Order of Business, Mr Gilmore referred to media reports that the secretary of the Taoiseach's department and the secretary to the Government were aware on July 27 of the Aer Lingus decision.
"The Department of Transport was aware of it six weeks earlier but nobody in the Government was told about it," Mr Gilmore said.
Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue immediately ruled Mr Gilmore out of order on the issue.
But Mr Gilmore added that the Taoiseach had promised that the recommendations of the Travers Report would be implemented by Government.
The 2005 Travers Report investigated the illegal charging of nursing home patients and why senior civil servants never brought the controversial issue to the attention of then Minister for Health Micheál Martin.
The secretary general of the Department of Health, Michael Kelly, was later transferred to another public office position.
Mr Gilmore said: "After all of that, we are expected to believe by the Government that experienced civil servants, Travers Report or no Travers Report, would have been sensitive to political matters, that none of them told a Government minister about the Shannon decision, when the secretary to the Government knew it, the Department of Transport knew it."
He added: "The Government has been engaged in a political conspiracy to cover up what they knew about Shannon."
The Ceann Comhairle repeated that the issue was out of order but Mr Cowen, who was deputising for the Taoiseach refuted the claims.
He said: "I will stay in order, but obviously I reject the suggestion made by the Labour leader."
