Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

As my colleague Deputy Cullinane has laid out, this is not the first time the two of us, as Sinn Féin representatives for Waterford in this Chamber, have raised this. I believe the Minister of State was here the last time we raised it as a topical issue, just a short few months ago. We did so because of the demand and the urgent need for the Government to come to a decision on this.

We have the vista of Waterford – the economic engine of the south east, a region that has been left behind, neglected and left short of funding, investment and IDA Ireland visits for far too long – being without an airport that can actually cater for scheduled services. The solution is to build the runway and for the State to invest in the same way it invests in airports in other regions. The indignity or insult added to the injury of the decades of neglect is to see Cork Airport, a fine airport with good rationale for investment, getting a huge amount of public money for a new VIP lounge and additional retail space when we in Waterford do not have a runway that can cater for the commercial aircraft and scheduled services we need.

In SETU and the Walton Institute in Waterford last week, I was at meetings with ambassadors and diplomatic staff from six embassies – namely those of the United Arab Emirates, the People’s Republic of China, Britain, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada – to consider international innovation and best practise, including in academia, business development, and research and development. One of the core components we are missing in Waterford is transport connectivity through the airport. I implore the Minister of State, in the name of fairness for the south east, regional balance, economic development and jobs, to make the decision. He should bring this message back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Let us make a decision to invest in Waterford Airport now.

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