Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Government's announcement yesterday. It is very heartening to hear the comments of Senator Barrett, one of the most eminent transport economists in the country. He spoke of the benefit of this separation for the aviation industry and also for the mid-west region. I note the almost unanimous support for the announcement. That Shannon Airport will be independent of Dublin Airport and in a position to negotiate with airlines across Europe and the Atlantic to bring tourists into this country, is welcome. Deputy Dooley's response was the notable exception to the welcome but we will leave that where it is.

The announcement that heads of an agreement and memorandums of understanding have been signed with at least two companies planning to create 850 to 1,000 jobs over the next couple of years is very welcome news for County Clare. The potential for between 3,000 and 5,000 jobs will definitely revitalise the economy of County Clare and the economy of the mid-west region. Shannon Airport has a tremendous future. In the decades from the 1960s to the 1990s it served as an engine for economic development throughout the mid-west region. I am confident that in the next 30 or 40 years, Shannon Airport will again drive the economy of the west of Ireland - not just County Clare but up as far as County Mayo and down as far as County Cork.