Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I fully appreciate the Senator's passion and concern about this matter. I was checking some details in the reply provided by the Department. The Minister for Transport assures me he fully appreciates the concerns raised in regard to the recent the decision that has been made on the PSO route. The decision involved the Government's agreement to support the continuation of a PSO route between Donegal and Dublin and between Kerry and Dublin. In line with the value for money review of Exchequer expenditure on the regional airports programme, the Government also agreed to cease requiring PSO routes between Dublin and Sligo, Knock, Galway and Derry and from July of this year.

In the context of a regional strategy, the Government decision took account of recent improvements in alternative transport modes, the change in EU legislation covering PSO services, the completion of the value for money review and the requirement to make best use of scarce Exchequer resources. The review, published on 12 January last, involved extensive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including the regional airports, the Border, midlands and west regional assembly, IDA Ireland, the IAA, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Aer Arann and Ryanair.

In recommending that the Derry PSO be discontinued, the review noted that passengers on this route have been falling consistently since 2006. Over the past three years, passengers on the service have accounted for between 5% and 6% of total passengers at the airport. Derry has also been the second most expensive route in terms of funding per passenger. The cost per passenger has ranged from €89 in 2006 to a peak of €111 in 2009.

Derry has good air service connectivity to other destinations which, according to the review, account for 30% to 40% of total passengers over the past three years. Members of the public in the region wishing to travel to Dublin can, as the Senator mentioned, avail of the PSO flight from Dublin to Donegal or Donegal to Dublin.