Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates. The one aspect on which everyone agrees is connectivity. My question is about risk versus reward. What do the delegates believe are the risks if the level of connectivity is reduced, in the context of the Heathrow Airport slots and certainly in the context of the Shannon region - I am a Deputy in Limerick city - in terms of daily flights to Boston and New York in North America? In their interaction with their members the delegates have multinational companies as members both in Shannon and Limerick and I have no doubt in Dublin and Cork. What is the risk to jobs? What are the risks to tourism and the economy in general in the areas the delegates represent and Shannon Airport? In financial terms, how important is the Heathrow Airport link? Some 400,000 passengers travel through Shannon Airport per annum, a significant number. The figure for Cork Airport is approximately 400,000. For transatlantic links, the figure for Dublin Airport is just short of 1 million, while the figure for the Heathrow Airport slots it is about 1.6 million a year. I ask the delegates to tell me about the risks if the level of connectivity was to be reduced.