Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, my approach as Minister is to make sure we are reasonable and balanced in all parts of the country, and that we invest in all sectors and do things as close as possible to the areas in which they most matter. That should be and is the right approach by the Government. Certainly, with regard to how we invest and on the work the Government is doing in respect of investing in different parts of the country, it is very much to put back in rural areas to ensure regionalisation and that people in all parts of the country get a fair crack of the whip.

The issue here is our legal obligation with regard to the application of EU law and the requirement for goods that are coming into the country to be checked at their point of entry. As the Deputy outlined, a case has been made that the movement of goods landing into Dublin Airport by road for checks at Shannon could meet the definition of transshipment, as provided for in the relevant EU legislation.

See this speech in context