Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy is aware, the decision to separate the three airports was taken prior to my time in the Department. Had the method of moving forward been accepted by the board of Cork Airport, it would now be an autonomous and independent airport. That did not prove possible and the Deputy has outlined some of the processes put in place to try to bring the matter to a conclusion. Events caught up on that action and in my first year in office, those difficulties were ongoing. We attempted mediation but as the Deputy noted, it did not resolve the matter.

By the time it had concluded in mid 2008, there were wider difficulties in the economy and eventually the chair of the board in Cork and Shannon recommended that I defer the separation in the economic climate as it was, and which has not improved too much since. We agreed to defer the decision until 2011. As the Deputy noted, the beginning of 2011 is approximately eight months away but the end is approximately 20 months away. The decision will be made at some stage during the course of that year.

See this speech in context