Dr. John Lannon:

In response to that, I would assume that if there was any benefit to Ireland, we would have been told about it. We have asked repeatedly for clarification on the benefit of this, economically or otherwise, to Ireland but have never been told of any benefit accruing. The only benefits mentioned are vague references to employment and foreign direct investment. However, as we all know, foreign direct investment decisions made by corporate entities in Ireland are not linked to the use of Shannon Airport by the US military. We know that Dell computers moved out of Shannon to the detriment of many people, even though the military continued to use the facilities at Shannon. There is no link between the US corporate presence in Ireland the US military's use of the airport.