Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett speaks about alarm bells, but he should look at the example of the business development on the land around Cork Airport, and Deputy Naughten spoke about Ireland West Airport Knock. In the business development park around Cork Airport, we saw 100 new jobs created last May as a result of enhancement of businesses and the land. This is at a time when the aviation sector, through the sale of Aer Lingus, is improving connectivity from Cork to other markets and there are also to be transatlantic flights.

I ask the Taoiseach to explain this resolution not just in the context of Ireland West Airport Knock, but also of Shannon and Cork Airports. We need to see thinking that goes beyond the norm in regard to lands associated with airports. In the context of Cork Airport, I am talking about the lands around the airport, the business park and about their development and the creation of jobs. If 105 new jobs send alarm bells ringing for Deputy Boyd Barrett, I will not visit his Nirvana but will happily stay in my land. That is employment and quality jobs being created within the city of Cork.

Deputy Naughten is correct in what he said about the aviation sector. We have been straitjacketed by Dublin and Shannon Airports for far too long. There is significant potential at Cork Airport in terms of the new CityJet and transatlantic routes being created. There is significant potential to use the lands available to create a second business park. I invite Members to visit Cork Airport, the second busiest airport in the country. In the context of this debate, it is important we look at the aviation industry as one that has gone through a quantum change. A vote of confidence is being given through the creation of new routes. The connectivity fund announced at the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications last week by the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, provides an opportunity to the airport.

Today's resolution will, I hope, provide an opportunity to other airports, in particular Cork Airport, to avail of the opportunity to change and use the moneys to invest in the airport. I welcome this debate. This is about creating jobs and about sending a signal to the wider world that we are open and available. We must change and think differently. I challenge Deputy Boyd Barrett's perspective. The old ways have not worked. We are now in a new era, with a new model of delivery and creation of jobs. I spoke to a school principal last night when out canvassing. Five of his students received maximum points in their leaving certificate examination. In the past, each one of those students would have gone into medicine, but not one of them did. They went for computer programming and computer sciences. That is the future and we must be open to that and to delivering a different type of model of how we do business.

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