Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014. It has been generally welcomed across the House and I share in that welcome. It sets up a new commercial semi-State company, Shannon Group plc., which combines the Shannon Airport Authority and Shannon Development and it should act as a lynchpin in terms of the future development of the mid-west region by allowing the airport to concentrate on its own business and the lands available around the airport to develop infrastructure that can support the entire region, and that is very welcome.

There is, however, one significant blemish on Shannon Airport - a matter the Government should have moved to deal with - the use of Shannon Airport by US troops and our facilitation of an illegal war in Iraq and continued facilitation of the United States in projecting its military power around the world by allowing Shannon Airport to be used by US forces as they travel to the Middle East to impose their imperial will on the people there. We should have addressed that, as should this Bill. I hope Shannon Group plc will make a strategic decision to move away from and end the practice of allowing US troops to come through Shannon Airport. As this company starts off and sets its corporate goals and policy to develop the region, the perception of such practice at the airport will certainly hinder its development. The programme for Government commits that, "We will enforce the prohibition on the use of Irish air space, airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of international law". We can see how that has come to be developed into the continued support of the use of Shannon Airport by the US military, turning a blind eye to rendition flights through Shannon with little emphasis being placed on the fact that armed military aircraft have come through Shannon Airport also. It augurs very poorly for the future development of the airport. As the airport looks to its future development, it should not continue this business as a practice into the future. I hope it will decide to end it. Given that the Government did not have the guts to do it, perhaps the new company will realise the commercial value in presenting a corporate image of itself that presents Ireland as a country that is good to visit and good to do business in and not associate it with illegal wars around the globe. Perhaps the group will decide to do this.

Aside from the use of Shannon Airport by the military, this legislation has the potential, as has been said by other Members, to counterbalance the unbalanced development in the State in terms of regional development. We can see the development of the east coast taking place as Government policy has focused on that region to the detriment of the rest of the country. This legislation should provide the midwest with an opportunity to counterbalance that development by developing the wider region. I note from the submissions made to an Oireachtas joint committee by Galway, Shannon and Limerick chambers of commerce that the legislation has a wider reach than the Shannon and Clare areas and the potential it provides for development within the midwest is vital. I hope the airport will be able to grow passenger numbers and not be subservient, as it has been in the past, to Dublin Airport and grow the region on that basis. That is an important aspect of the Bill and an important aspect of the creation of the new company. It builds from the establishment of the Shannon Airport Authority 18 months ago, which I note has seen a slight increase in passenger numbers this year. I wonder if these passenger numbers include the American military or are their commercial passengers. If the latter is the case, that is welcome and it is good to see an increase in passenger number which shows, even at this early stage, that the possibility of having an independent airport authority has allowed Shannon Airport to start to develop its business for the benefit of the entire region.

I share some of the concerns other Members expressed about the potential impact on pensioners in that it appears the group can decide to move existing and deferred pensioners on to a new scheme that might undermine their terms and conditions and the amount of pension benefit they get. The Minister should examine that matter to ensure they are protected and be satisfied they can be protected under the legislation.

The legislation offers an opportunity for the mid-west and Shannon Airport to develop further but the ongoing facilitation of the use of Shannon Airport by the American military is a blemish on the card of Shannon Group plc. I hope the company will decide to end that business when the Bill is passed and they have control over it.

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