Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Last week the Government made an announcement on the future ownership and management of Shannon Airport. It also announced the dismantling of Shannon Development as a development agency for the mid-west. The Taoiseach is well aware of the important role Shannon Development played over many decades in developing and sustaining a significant jobs base in the region. When does he intend to bring forward legislation to dismantle Shannon Development? How does he intend to support the very significant industrial base in the region, which has required the support of a development agency to move through the various phases of job creation? There is considerable concern in the region that the dismantling of the agency and the centralisation within the IDA and Enterprise Ireland of the services it provided will take from the capacity to retain the important base that exists.

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