Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All the best people have roots in County Mayo. I rise to support Project Ireland 2040. I welcome it as a blueprint whereby we can chart our way to 2040, meet the challenges of population growth and rebalance economic activity in the country, which will be key in terms of rebalancing population. By doing that and taking a holistic approach, rural Ireland and what it has to offer will be part of the solution. This document provides an opportunity through funding and initiatives for rural Ireland to progress.

As has been stated on several occasions, this is the first time that money to back up such a plan has been available. The last national spatial strategy was a disappointment for many towns such as Ballina and Castlebar. It did not deliver because there was no money to back it up and intervening political decisions meant its proposals never saw the light of day in some parts of the country, which contributed to the divide which now exists. However, there is now an opportunity to address that divide. The plan refers to and includes every region and all regions will benefit from it.

I am particularly pleased by the top-line items included for Mayo. There will be far more such projects but the highlight is Ireland West Airport Knock, which is an issue on which I have campaigned for several years. I am thrilled that, having met the Taoiseach on the issue, he is giving a commitment to Knock and that has been provided for in the national development plan. That is the first time it has been given such status and significance, notwithstanding the many years it has been in existence, because it operates as a trust and was created not by the State but, rather, by the people of Mayo and the diaspora. That has counted against it in terms of state aid rules but I hope its strategic importance has been underlined by its recognition in the plan and that that confirms the commitment of the Government to capital projects or development that will take place there, which I have no doubt will grow the airport and make it sustainable.

I wish to voice my concern at a radio interview given on Clare FM by Deputy Timmy Dooley, a Front Bench spokesperson for Fianna Fáil who was not too impressed with the inclusion of Ireland West Airport Knock in the national planning framework and the national development plan. He described it as a small, peripheral airport and did not seem to recognise its significance or that it has been operating very efficiently for the past number of years with minimal investment from the taxpayer compared to other national airports such as Shannon, which had a debt of €100 million written off and for which special initiatives are being undertaken to bring more industry and development to its surrounding area. I assure the Acting Chairman that this is not personal, but I wish to know the Fianna Fáil position on Knock airport as I am somewhat confused in that regard.