Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I welcome the proposal. We have had, to some extent, informal development around the airport region and it is interesting to attempt to structure this through the DAA. Was this proposal part of the business plan put to the Minister by the Dublin Airport Authority with regard to plans for the three airports?

The Minister mentioned the National Pensions Reserve Fund but has he had any discussions with the new Taoiseach and former Minister for Finance, or with the new Minister for Finance, on the possibility of funding through this area? Will the Minister be particularly concerned about airport charges? My colleague has mentioned concerns people have with regard to parking and the massive escalation of charges. Is there not a suspicion in many airport users and passengers that they will, in effect, end up paying the DAA the seed capital for this massive project?

The Minister mentioned the indicative completion date for phase I but what is the timeframe for the whole project?

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