Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department also has responsibility in this regard. There is a provision of €5.9 million for the islands. The Department wishes to maintain services to the islands, particularly for passengers. A sum of €5.9 million is available for passenger, cargo and air services, as well as transport services on the mainland. The Department is confident that this amount will be maintained. The issue with which it is grappling concerns the ferry services that have been arranged, as well as the cargo and air services to the Aran Islands. Questions arose last year and I am glad that negotiations are under way to continue the service. The current contract expires at the end of August and the Department is confident, as the negotiations are ongoing, that it will continue for a further year after 31 August, with the possibility of it continuing for a further year. The Department is, of course, obliged under European Union regulations to carry out a feasibility study of the need for a continuation of this transport, but I am fairly confident that for next year and probably the year after it will be possible to maintain it. As I stated, the capital moneys available for the islands have been reduced drastically. Nevertheless, €100 million has been spent on capital developments on the islands in the past ten years. While that money is no longer available, most of the islands now have piers and landing facilities and my priority is to maintain these essential services. In that context, I am sure the €5.9 million available will succeed in maintaining them.