David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I have lost count of how many times Waterford Airport has been raised over the last number of years in the Dáil Chamber. I have certainly raised it dozens of times. A meeting took place between Government representatives, the Minister for Transport and members of the board of Waterford Airport a number of months ago. There was a lot of frustration in Waterford following that meeting because, after years of business cases, more information being sought, further information and clarification, the people of Waterford saw funding going to other airports, in Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Shannon and, obviously, Dublin. Waterford seems left behind again. The frustration was over the fact that more information and another business case were sought for Waterford Airport. The situation has become ridiculous in that it was 2019 when a previous Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, actually signed off in principle that the State would fund the airport. A lot of work has been done since to provide the Department with countless clarifications to a previous business case that was submitted, and the people of Waterford are asking themselves what is going on and why the airport in Waterford cannot get a fighting chance. Everybody knows that either the runway happens and different types of aircraft can take off, which means we have a chance to have commercial activity at the airport again, or it does not happen and the airport closes. That is the stark reality facing us.

We want to have the same opportunities as any other region. Three local authorities – Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford – are putting very serious money on the table. We also have private sector consortia putting money on the table. Those who have so far come empty-handed in terms of money, albeit with many promises, are the Department and Government. I ask the Minister of State again whether he can set out whether the Government is going to support the airport. When will he deliver the funding?

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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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.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The Government does support Waterford Airport. I assure the Deputies that the Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to see the Waterford Airport project to lengthen and widen the runway progress. In line with this commitment and the requirements under the Government’s infrastructure guidelines, Waterford Airport was invited earlier this summer to submit a preliminary business case to the Department of Transport. As the Deputies will be aware, the infrastructure guidelines set out the value-for-money guidelines for the evaluation, planning and management of public investment projects. These arrangements apply to all public bodies and all bodies in receipt of Exchequer capital funding of this nature.

In relation to the timeline around the development proposal, it was in fact 2018 when Waterford Airport brought forward its proposal for an expanded runway and related services. I understand this proposal was in the form of a letter to the Department of Transport with a one-page overview of the projects proposed, which included high-level indicative costings. Following this, as mentioned, in June 2019 the Government gave approval in principle to an expression of support for the expansion proposal and to providing Exchequer funding of €5 million towards the project, which was then estimated to cost €12 million.

Government support at that time was contingent not only on €2 million in local authority funding and €5 million in private investment funding, necessary to complete the project, being committed and any risks relating to cost escalation being borne by the non-State investors, but also on full details of the project being provided to the Department of Transport for appraisal. Despite engagement with the airport over the intervening period, this detail remained outstanding from Waterford Airport until 13 December 2023. I understand the Department prioritised the necessary assessment of the detail provided in line with the requirements under the Department of Transport’s transport appraisal framework. This framework provides guidance to ensure investment schemes in the transport sector can comply with the Government’s infrastructure guidelines. The Deputies will be aware that this detail outlined that the project costings have increased substantially above the original estimated cost of €12 million, to €27 million, deviating significantly from the original proposal. The Exchequer contribution sought has risen from €5 million to €12 million.

It needs to be recognised that certain conditions attached to the Government decision of 2019 have not been fulfilled. However, the Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to see this proposal progress and, as such, Waterford Airport has been invited to submit a preliminary business case for consideration.

This was all discussed in detail when the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, met with his Government colleagues the Ministers of State, Deputies Mary Butler and John Cummins, and the CEO of the local authority on 2 July last.

Given the Exchequer funding being sought by the airport to support this proposal, the Department of Transport's role is as an approving authority. It will be the airport's role, as the sponsoring agency, to ensure that the necessary detail and evidence are provided in its business case to demonstrate that sufficient demand and industry commitment exist to facilitate regular scheduled passenger services. The Department of Transport will work with the airport in its development of the business case and is available at all times to engage with the airport. Any business case will be assessed as a matter of priority once it is received.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State might be familiar with the phrases "Build it and they will come" and "Show us the money". He stated that it is up to the airport "to demonstrate that sufficient demand and industry commitment [should] exist to facilitate regular scheduled passenger services". That can only be determined when there is a runway. If there is no runway, no airline will come in. At the moment, jets cannot take off from Waterford Airport. It is turboprop planes only. That is the difficulty. If we get a runway extension, we have a fighting chance. The Minister of State talked about sponsoring agencies. There are three local authorities, not just Waterford. Kilkenny and Wexford are putting serious money on the table. This is needed.

Games are being played here for far too long. I said a number of months ago this was a case of sending a fool further. Every time we come in, a Minister stands up and the first words out of that Minister's mouth are that the Government is supportive of Waterford Airport and the runway extension. Again, as I said, show me the money. Show the people of Waterford the money. Give us the opportunity to have a fighting chance to be able to get that commercial activity. It is the Government that is holding up progress, not private sector sponsors, or the airport or local authorities. It is the Government that has, so far, refused to put any money on the table. I still hear nothing tonight from the Minister of State that tells me that will change any time soon.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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From listening to the Minister of State and scanning his speech as he read it, it strikes me as a bad mash-up between "Yes Minister" and "Computer says no". It is shifting the goalposts every single time. It is putting unfair demands on Waterford and the south east that simply are not placed on other regional airports around the State. No other regional airport is forced to jump through these hoops one after another. The Minister of State is quite right to point out that the costs have risen at an alarming pace in the time that has been wasted because the Government will not invest. It will not do what is needed here, which is to invest in an airport runway extension that means this airport can actually stand up and take the kinds of flights we need into the south east.

I said it before and will say it again: this is about regional development. We need the investment. We need the Government to make the decision, and stop prevaricating and wasting time, because the costs are only going one way. The longer this is let go, the higher the costs will ultimately be. Let us invest now and invest well in Waterford.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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If the Government broke the public spending code, or the infrastructure guidelines in this case, or decided to spend money without doing a proper analysis and proper business case, you guys would rightly be down at the public accounts committee castigating the Government. The Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to progress this project when the business case is received and reviewed.

We recognise we are an island nation. We have a dispersed population and an open economy. We need good connectivity with the rest of the world within and outside the country. We are an exporting country. We know that we need all this, but the infrastructure guidelines set out the value-for-money guidelines for the evaluation, planning and management of public investment projects. This applies to all public bodies. This is not just a Waterford thing. All public bodies and everybody in receipt of Exchequer capital funding are required to comply with this. That is why the public accounts committee is there, to hold the Government to account on items such as this. Some may say private investment is there so the State does not need to look as closely, but the State has a different role from that of private investors. We are happy to work with them but we have different functions and different objectives. The State wants its investment protected also. There are also state aid rules from the European Union.

At the meeting on 2 July I mentioned, the airport authorities were advised that the Department of Transport will continue to work with them on the development of the business case, which will be prioritised within the Department once it is received. Any potential support will be considered then, when the necessary appraisal is done under the infrastructure guidelines.