Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The airports should first make contact on their own behalf and have probably already done so. In Sligo, airport authorities should talk to the Coast Guard and the search and rescue helicopter contractor. They should also have discussions with the local authorities, as the two authorities own the airport. Officials at Galway should have discussions with the airlines, particularly Aer Arann, and I am sure discussions under way. They should also speak to potential investors and the local authority, which in contrast to Sligo does not provide any support to the airport. The business community and the chamber of commerce are the owners of the airport and could be in a position to fund it, if they so wish, with resources from the business community in that region.

No request has been made to me regarding support relating to consultancy or advice. There will be no change to the decision on operational expenditure and capital expenditure next year. If the airports are seeking some form of non-financial support I will consider any request in that regard.

The Deputy made a point regarding savings, and this cut saves quite a bit more than €1 million as the operational expenditure requirement for neighbouring airports is reduced. The saving is probably closer to €2 million on an annual basis in the case of Galway alone. The Deputy is correct to say that this is small in the context of my budget of approximately €800 million per year; unfortunately, it works the other way as I am required to remove approximately €100 million to €150 million from my budget. In that context the removal of support to Galway and Sligo is a small cut compared to others I must make.

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