Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Patrick O'Donovan.

Let us remember the great innovators and business pioneers associated with Shannon Airport. What would they have made of the Government's vision for the airport and region, as announced last week and outlined in the motion? They would have applauded the new structures and been enthused by the business plan. Shannon Airport has always embraced and been empowered by a pioneering spirit. It has always adapted to and driven change in the aviation industry and can do so again under the proposed plans. In the past decade the airport was allowed to wither slowly, accelerated by political ambivalence and legislative failure. It was a State airport in name only. After the Open Skies policy, in particular, it was left to its own devices, without assistance or direction from Dublin. Coupled with this, its hands were tied by the bureaucratic and centralised Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, an agency more interested in minding Dublin Airport than facilitating Shannon Airport.

My Government colleagues and I in County Clare were elected with a clear mandate to take action in regard to Shannon Airport. Extensive consultations and expert advice, including a detailed submission made by many to Booz & Company last November, highlighted a clear desire that we take back ownership to have some influence over the airport. I am pleased to say I submitted an in-depth report that is strongly endorsed in the proposals adopted by the Government. We now have an independent Shannon Airport, free from the shackles of the DAA, but it is still State-owned. Crucially, we have dealt with the debt issue and ensured Shannon Airport will begin the next phase of its commercial life without the burden of historic debt. The achievement of debt-free status should not be underestimated. Fianna Fáil, when in government, failed to take this decision during the so-called good times. The Government will ensure the €100 million debt is no longer a drag on Shannon Airport. I very much welcome this and I am particularly pleased the ensuing interest on the debt is no longer a charge with which the new Shannon Airport will have to be concerned.

It is disappointing that some local public representatives have failed to acknowledge this great advancement. The new board at Shannon Airport has a once in a lifetime chance to make this new initiative succeed and it will drive the establishment of an international aviation services centre. Already we have a commitment to the creation of 850 jobs from private companies which see merit in the proposals made. Should the airport develop as envisaged, the job numbers are likely to multiply.

As often happens with significant change such as this, there is an element of uncertainty and fear. I know workers have concerns. I have met some of them and listened to them express their concerns directly. However, doing nothing in regard to Shannon Airport was the most certain way of threatening the livelihoods of the workforce. Workers are protected by the terms of their employment and I believe that in time the developments taking place will enhance their security. Let there be no doubt that the future prospects of the airport are very much dependent on having a satisfied and appreciated workforce. It is important, therefore, that clear and constructive lines of communication are established and maintained in the new structures. We need the workforce's expertise, endeavour and proven ability to adapt to changing work environments.

Disappointment has been expressed that Aer Rianta International will not form part of the new Shannon Airport. In part, this is a legacy issue, as the option of setting up Aer Rianta International as a subsidiary of Shannon Airport was blocked by the Dublin Airport Authority years ago. Therefore, the only commercial option at this point is to leave Aer Rianta International as part of the Dublin Airport Authority if Shannon Airport is to begin life debt free. In time a prosperous Shannon Airport will see this decision as a necessary one and initiatives similar to Aer Rianta International can be established under the new structures.

In recent days some elected representatives have tried to maximise this issue for political gain. These are the very ones who stood idly by as Shannon Airport fell further and further down the pecking order of the political agenda. I am not interested in political games. I want all key stakeholders in the region to get behind this plan for Shannon Airport and the mid-west. As the Minister has outlined, without serious action, there would be a question mark over the viability of Shannon Airport in remaining as a 24-hour a day international transport hub. The time for empty rhetoric and unrealistic demands is over.

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