Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's commitment to balanced regional development. Shannon Development was set up as part of that. It became the Shannon Group, comprising three entities, namely, the airport, commercial properties and Shannon Heritage. The idea was that properties, which would be highly profitable, would be used to pay for much-needed capital investment in heritage sites. For a variety of reasons, that has not happened. The Minister visited Clare last week and will be aware that the Shannon Group does not see Shannon Heritage as part of its strategic future. The county council is prepared to take it over. The question still remains as to how the necessary capital investment in Shannon Heritage will be funded. The Minister served on a local authority for some time. He will be aware that local authorities' funding streams are limited and generally do not run heritage sites, although they are very well placed to run this. Did the Minister's discussions with Clare County Council result in any solutions?

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