Mr. Gerry Clarke:

The way I see it is that, irrespective of whether they are all linked, there is a fundamental problem. I will respond from the perspective of Shannon Airport. Regardless of how much money is put into the airport, it will not attract the airlines. That has been proven straightaway. Even though moneys have been given to Shannon Airport and I am not denying that, it still does not attract airlines to the region. There is only one way that should and can happen. That is with airline aid under EU state aid. A section of the Act allows for airline aid. Airlines such as Aer Lingus should be incentivised to fly routes out of Shannon Airport, which would have a major economic impact on the base and the region. The more people who come through the airport, the more footfall there is and the more jobs are created. The way to go is to have airline aid and incentivise the airlines to fly out of Shannon Airport. If we do not go down that road soon all the money, similar to the water leaking from pipes throughout the country, will leak out somewhere and we will not know where it is. At least if the airline has it, we will know what it is doing with it.