Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join others who have condemned in the strongest terms the approach of the Israeli Defence Forces and the police force in their actions during the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh. It was a disgraceful attack on not just the Palestinian people, who are mourning one of their own, but also on a fundamental tenet of the democracy of any state, namely that of journalism. We all recognise the important role journalists play in protecting the fundamental freedoms of others and holding various different institutions to account. To see the behaviour of the Israeli forces during the funeral was disgusting and appalling, and should be condemned in every parliament around the world. Regardless of anyone's position on international issues, there is a fundamental recognition of the role of the media in the preservation and protection of democracy, and we need to abide by that.

The Acting Leader and I, along with others in the House, had an opportunity to visit Shannon Airport yesterday, where we heard very directly from the chairman of the board, the chief executive and others about the importance of a change in legislation to address the important role regional airports play in the balanced growth of our country. It is important that the Government moves without delay to put in place a national aviation policy, something which has not been in place for a long time. We have seen the growth of Dublin Airport. I have no problem in principle with having a main airport where the capital city is because that is something that happens in every country. However, it cannot be at a cost to other areas. A relatively small number of additional passengers would take Shannon Airport to a critical mass whereby it could attract flights on a more regular basis to key destinations in Europe. I ask the Acting Leader to have the Minister for Transport come before the House so that we can have a proper and open debate on the importance of regional development, and the growth and necessary input to airports such as Shannon to ensure they can thrive, grow and meet the needs of a balanced country and approach to the dispersal of our population.