Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister. The Bill is obviously welcome as it is required to give legal effect to the preclearance agreement signed by the Minister and the US Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington in November last year. I welcome the indication from the Minister that it is only this legislation that will apply in terms of preclearance and the roles of preclearance officers and Irish law enforcement officers are clearly laid out. There is consistent reference as we go through the sections in the Bill to Irish law enforcement officers.

I welcome the agreement and recognise the Minister's success in progressing it; credit is due in that regard. The primary aim is to facilitate the new preclearance facilities at Shannon Airport, due to open in July, and in Dublin Airport in November 2010. They will be of great benefit to passengers and industry alike. I particularly welcome the fact the first place outside the Americas to offer a full preclearance service to US-bound passengers will be located in Shannon Airport. This is the only such facility proposed for Europe and it offers many opportunities for Ireland to exploit.

Having visited the States many times, with documentation processed both in the US and Ireland on different occasions, I am aware of the difference preclearance makes for passengers. Any US-bound flight leaving Shannon from July and Dublin from November 2010 will offer all immigration, customs and agricultural clearance before take off and, therefore, passengers will enjoy uninterrupted transit. The benefits in time and money saved will be appreciable. The new agreement will also afford a greater choice of airport destinations in the US for aircraft originating in or transiting through Ireland. Passengers will also welcome the change that will allow them to check their baggage through from Dublin and Shannon to their final destinations in the US, even if it involves flights with different airlines.

Preclearance has the potential to boost business. The Shannon Airport Authority hopes to attract up to 70 business jets a day to the airport when the US preclearance facility opens as a result of this agreement. It has been reported that management at the airport is in talks with a large number of airlines, including Middle Eastern carriers, to attract as much stopover business as possible when the service begins. The potential is that some aircraft that currently overfly Shannon might stop and benefit from the preclearance.

Shannon is already a popular technical stop due to its being a 24/7 airport with some of the most competitive fuel pricing in Europe. If this agreement generates additional interest and traffic, when transatlantic operators see advantages in the time and money saved with the ability to bypass the normal airports of entry within the US and proceed directly to their destinations, it can only be good for Ireland. This opportunity must be exploited. Mr. Brendan O'Grady of Universal Aviation in Ireland, a ground support firm for corporate planes that has bases in more than 50 countries, has stated this could encourage multinationals to locate their head offices in this region as chief executives and directors could fly in, do their business, have fast-tracked preclearance, and fly back to their local airports.

Ireland needs every boost it can get economically. I welcome the agreement and this legislation. Between now and Committee Stage on Thursday, we will look closely at the detail of the Bill to check for shortcomings and to suggest possible improvements. Senator Ellis mentioned people who are refused access, an interesting question that should be teased out, particularly when it comes to ensuring there is no cost to the State.