Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

My colleague, Senator Paul Bradford, mentioned the airport issue and I know it is a topic close to the Minister of State's heart. I appreciate funding is finite but following the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport's short-sighted announcement yesterday on funding, especially relating to Galway and Sligo airports, I called in the press for the establishment of a task force. I am sure the Minister of State agrees with me and could manage the task force from his Department and take in the Departments linked to transport and enterprise, Fáilte Ireland, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. The full mechanisms within all those agencies could come to bear in helping both Galway and Sligo airports ensure a continuity of commuter services that will help enterprise, the market ability of the region and tourism.