Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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We are looking at this purely from an economic perspective rather than a regional development one. We do not have a regional development policy at the moment. If we do have one, I have not heard of it. Knock needs to be seen as part of a regional development policy because an airport is not just a business. Obviously, it is an important hub for people to travel into and out of an area but it is also a catalyst for development throughout the region. One of the problems is that we are looking at the subsidy purely as a cost rather than as an investment. An subsidy for an airport such as Knock would be minimal and would be a very good investment because it is a catalyst for creating business in an entire region and keeping a region alive.

I agree with the points raised about connectivity. We need to get cross-party support in the Dáil and Seanad to support Knock and Shannon and to get the Ministers looking at the issues of connectivity and infrastructure.

We have seen the closure of airports by stealth - for example, that occasioned by the withdrawal of PSOs in Galway. I do not know whether we have a national strategy for airports but Galway was certainly closed by stealth and I hope that is not what is happening with Knock. With the closure of Galway Airport, does the delegation see any knock-on effect on Knock, if it will pardon the pun? How did the closure affect Knock's business? Did it pick up any numbers or did they go to Shannon Airport?