Written answers
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Department of Transport
Air Services
9:00 am
Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Transport and the Marine the amount spent by his Department on public service obligation in services in 2006; the services that benefitted; the amount of payment in each case; the number of passengers who availed of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21446/07]
Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I presume that the Deputy is referring to air services operated between Dublin and the regional airports on foot of a Public Service Obligation under my Department's Essential Air Services Programme. The requested information is set out in the table.
| PSO air services 2006 | ||
| Services | Expenditure | Passenger Numbers |
| € | ||
| Donegal & Sligo* | 5,157,686 | 74,943 |
| Derry & Knock* | 4,283,291 | 43,092 |
| Galway | 3,044,983 | 67,988 |
| Kerry | 3,004,951 | 91,268 |
| Total | 15,490,911 | 277,291 |
| *Each of these services is operated and remunerated as a combined service to the two regional airports in question. |
Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Transport and the Marine the proposals he has to introduce public service obligation on service from Waterford Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21447/07]
Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2408/92 of 23 July 1992, a Member State may, in limited circumstances, impose a Public Service Obligation in respect of an air service and may subvent that service if no airline is prepared to operate it on a commercial basis. When the question of introducing such an arrangement on the Waterford-Dublin route was raised in 1993, I understand that the E.U. Commission refused to sanction the proposal because the route is relatively short and because Waterford was already adequately served by other transport modes. In the interim, the relevant surface transport links have been upgraded and continue to be improved. In the circumstances, I have no proposals to revive the question of including the airport in the Irish PSO air service programme.
The Government's decision in February 2007 to allocate almost €86 million for capital investment at the regional airports included a substantial allocation for projects at Waterford Airport. In addition to improving operational safety, the new infrastructure is intended to make a major contribution to the airport's efforts to develop additional services operating on a commercial basis to a number of destinations.
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