Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy will be aware, primary responsibility for the negotiations on introducing pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports rests with my colleague, the Minister for Transport. As I said previously, the introduction of pre-clearance facilities would have some positive aspects for Irish tourism. If such an agreement could be reached, it would help Dublin and Shannon airports to better position themselves as hubs for US bound flights. Furthermore, such an agreement could in time encourage the development of new routes into Shannon and Dublin airports from some of the smaller American airports.

With regard to the finalisation of an agreement, I understand that significant progress has been made on the issue. Good progress has been made in the interim and I understand that my colleague, the Minister for Transport, is hopeful that this agreement can be concluded in the very near future. Work will then commence on drafting the necessary legislation, which will be introduced as soon as possible.

The Department will continue to liaise closely with the Department of Transport on the issue and when an agreement is finalised, I will encourage all the relevant stakeholders, including the relevant tourist agencies, to take all necessary steps to maximise the potential benefits of the new procedures.

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