John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Leader is aware that I sought a debate with the Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, on aviation policy. This is the fifth occasion that I have used the Order of Business to seek such a debate. My understanding from the previous response I received was that the request has gone in from the Seanad Office every time but that to date no timescale has been given. That is an insult to this House. It is unacceptable. The Minister or the Minister of State must come before this House to have a debate on aviation policy. I have specifically sought updates on Waterford Airport and the business case that has been submitted in the context of seeking matching funding of €12 million to lengthen and widen the runway. Reports this week indicate that the Minister and the Minister of State have received an appraisal of the business case. It is in their hands, so it is timely that a debate on the matter would be scheduled on the Order Paper. The people of Waterford and the south east require this infrastructure for connectivity into the region. It is an essential piece of infrastructure. The Government committed matching funding of €5 million in 2019. The cost of the project has obviously escalated since then. The request is for €12 million in private sector funding and €3 million from the local authorities in the region. Everyone has bought into this project and a decision needs to be made urgently so that work on this vital piece of infrastructure for the south east can commence. Most importantly, this debate needs to happen in this Chamber and it is unacceptable that it has not taken place to date.