Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious of the importance of the services we provide for the Aran Islands, whether it is for the air, cargo or passenger, as I am aware of the importance of these services to all our islands. More than 20 islands avail of these services, which are being subsidised by my Department. The question relates specifically to the Aran Islands and the air services there. I have been there on several occasions. I met several Aran islanders and as recently as last Friday senior officials from my Department held a meeting with the Aran islanders during which they held further discussions on these matters. We are absolutely aware of the importance and this is one of the reasons we have endeavoured to maintain current expenditure for the current year at last year's level and to provide these services to the islands in the amount of €5.9 million. That is an indication of how seriously we take this responsibility.

Options are being considered at the moment. We are operating under a public service obligation and European regulations must be adhered to as well. We are not martyrs about it but there are European regulations and parameters within which we must work. Anyway, we are considering extending the current arrangement. Negotiations are ongoing between the various parties. As I noted in my answer, I hope to be in a position to come up with a suitable solution by the end of February.

See this speech in context