Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With due respect to the Minister of State, my problem is that I was hoping for an answer from the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation because I think this matter needs to be raised at Cabinet level. All the answers we get from the Minister, Deputy Ross, and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport inform us that aviation policy does not allow the Government to invest in Shannon Airport. Under EU rules, it is permitted to make such investment. It is clear from the Copenhagen Economics report that businesses, particularly multinational businesses that employ many people in the mid-west, are in danger if the percentage of air traffic in Ireland that goes through Dublin Airport continues to increase at the current rate and Shannon Airport is not supported in any way. Private regional airports are supported, but Shannon and Cork airports are not. My fundamental question is for the Minister and I hope she is listening. Will she raise at Cabinet level the need for aviation policy to be aligned with regional policy and with Project 2040? At the moment, they are totally unaligned. Will the Minister and the Ministers of State protect the businesses in the Shannon region that are depending on international connectivity by ensuring there is connectivity with an EU hub such as Frankfurt in the event of a no-deal Brexit or some other form of Brexit? The Minister of State, Deputy Breen, knows well that such protection is needed given that Heathrow Airport will not be in the EU anymore.

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