Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State is very familiar with the geography of Donegal and the north west. While we welcome the support and funding for the airport in west Donegal, the reality of the geography of Donegal is that people in much of north Donegal, east Donegal and the Inishowen Peninsula would use the City of Derry Airport for many of their trips, particularly across to England or Scotland. It is to be hoped that, very soon, they will be able to take trips to Dublin and on to the rest of the world. It is a critically important connection. As the Minister of State will know, the A5 has been stuck in a legal quagmire for too long and we do not have a rail connection. We do not have a motorway or rail connection to the north west so this is critical. The former Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, committed to looking at all of this through the shared island unit. I appeal to the Minister of State to work with the shared island unit and to see what he can do in his own Department to reinstate funding for the airport as soon as possible.

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