O'Rourke delays debate on legislation to break-up airport body

The leader of the Seanad, Ms Mary O'Rourke, has scuppered plans by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, to complete passage of the legislation on the break-up of Aer Rianta this week.

The development has provoked considerable annoyance in Government circles, given the difficult history of the break-up plan and backbench opposition within Fianna Fáil.

While Mr Brennan expressed confidence yesterday afternoon that the Seanad discussion on the controversial legislation would take place "in the next two or three days", the debate will not now proceed until next week.

This follows Ms O'Rourke's refusal to clear time in the House to complete a debate on the Bill.

Time for a debate next week was allotted only after Ms O'Rourke spoke yesterday with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.

She said last night that she did not intend to railroad the Bill through the House and did not want the Seanad to be seen as a chamber to rubber-stamp legislation.

While the Seanad was scheduled to rise for its summer recess tomorrow, the House is now expected to sit next Tuesday and Wednesday for a debate on the legislation.

Ms O'Rourke had responsibility for Aer Rianta when she was minister for public enterprise and she is not in favour of the break-up plan devised by Mr Brennan.

While she favours limited autonomy within Aer Rianta for the three airports, the Government has opted for full autonomy, albeit on a phased basis. The break-up plan follows the rejection of Ms O'Rourke's proposal for a partial flotation of Aer Rianta on the stock exchange.

Problems with plans to pass the legislation this week were signalled yesterday morning when Ms O'Rourke said she could not see there being time for it on the agenda because the House had to debate 11 other Bills this week.

"It would not be right for us to sit at 10 p.m. to consider any Bill, particularly such an important one," she said.

"It would not be possible to give due consideration to any Bill at that time. We have much work to do this week and I am conscious not alone of the calls upon spokesmen in the House but also of the pressures on the staff."

This led to a flurry of contacts throughout the day between Mr Brennan's office and that of Ms O'Rourke, who has responsibility for the scheduling of all Seanad debates.