Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, has made the decision to burden Cork Airport Authority with a €100 million debt which is a result of the incompetence of his Government and which had nothing to do with the incoming Cork Airport board. The board will now have to implement measures to service this massive debt.

Inevitably, these measures will have an impact on the travelling public as well as the carriers operating in and out of Cork. This disgraceful decision will set back balanced regional development for years and will make Cork Airport uncompetitive. It must be seen as the worst U-turn from the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government, which gave a cast iron promise through the former Minister for Transport to Cork that the airport would begin independent operations debt free and on a level playing field.

I reject the Minister's misleading statement on today's edition of "Morning Ireland" when he said that the debt-free guarantee was conditional on other issues. I reject this because it was a clear cut and unambiguous promise made in writing by a senior Cabinet Minister. If reports are true that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, was involved in brokering the final deal, he should be ashamed of himself and of his inability to deliver on his Government's promise to Cork.

Fianna Fáil has been indicating that it is right that Cork should shoulder the €60 million overrun on the cost of the new terminal. This is totally unacceptable because it is the incompetence of the Dublin Airport Authority and the Government that has caused the overrun. The overrun is typical of the Government's inefficiency in delivering a host of public projects over budget. The Dublin Airport Authority has already been handsomely compensated for the debt by the proceeds from the sale of the Great Southern Hotels.

The total area of Cork Airport amounts to 600 acres of land in comparison with both Shannon and Dublin which have over 2,000 acres each. If the 40 acres, and not 30 as previously stated, is sold off to developers, it will mean that the future development of Cork Airport is not only at risk but is seriously damaged. It is vital to hold the landbank and the Dublin Airport Authority must be stopped in its asset stripping of Cork. Not only is the future development of Cork Airport being damaged but the master plan for the airport, which was revised and reaffirmed in recent times, is being thrown out the window.

The Minister and the Government have posed serious threats to the development of not only Cork Airport but the whole south Munster region. Apparently it is all right to hand over €600 million to a private company in Dublin to deal with the infrastructural problems there, but it is not acceptable to fund a relatively small amount by comparison, €100 million, to make one of the most important pieces of regional infrastructure in the country viable.

As for the Minister, this is just the latest in a long list of calamities and disasters over which he has presided. The €600 million buy-out of the West Link will not see toll barriers being removed for another year and a half. We had a €60 million electronic voting fiasco and now he is presiding over the Cork Airport fiasco. The introduction of his Transport 21 plan has also seen the delay and cancellation of numerous transport projects in the Cork area. The Minister has failed to respond adequately to these issues in Cork.

It is clear that, under this Government and Minister, Cork's potential is being damaged and the city and county are being overlooked. For this reason, the Minister should resign.

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