Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason an airport (details supplied) received a grant of €800,000 in 2008; if he will provide a breakdown of this support; the reason this scheme is not extended to other regional airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40374/08]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Transport the grant aid allocated to a regional airport (details supplied) in each of the past five years. [40375/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together.

A scheme introduced in 2006 provides for an annual subvention in respect of expenditure incurred by the regional airports in providing core airport services. The amount of subvention payable in any one year is based on projected losses by the airports in providing those core services, having taken account of any surpluses from commercial activities such as catering and carparking and any other sources of income available to the airports. This is in line with the view underlying the mandatory EU guidelines on State aid for the sector that, as a general rule, airports should be self-financing and that public money should be made available to them only in particular circumstances and subject to certain conditions. The scheme, which was drawn up as a necessary response to EU guidelines, is based on a PSO contract between the Minister and the individual airports under which the airports undertake to provide core airport services to an acceptable standard. Consideration of applications for funding under the scheme involves a close analysis by the Department of financial and other information provided by each airport on an annual basis. Galway Airport has received €820,800 in operational subvention to date in 2008. With regard to Galway Airport, the amount of grant aid paid in each of the last five years is as follows:

Between 2003 and 2005, the operational subvention related to marketing, safety and security costs.