Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Transport the grant aid allocated to a regional airport (details supplied) in each of the past five years and to date in 2008, providing details of the reason for each category of funding. [41969/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Grant aid paid in each of the last 5 years in respect of Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK) is as follows:

Prior to 2006, capital grant funding at the regional airports was made available under the National Development Plan 2000 to 2006. From 2007 onwards, grant aid relates to the programme of capital grants for these airports which was approved by the Government in February 2007 providing for grants amounting to €86 million from within the Transport 21 envelope in the period up to the end of 2010. In 2008, IWAK has already received €2,422,472.

Grants in respect of operational expenditure were formerly provided under a scheme relating to marketing, safety and security at the regional airports. This was superseded in 2006 by a new Core Airport Management Operational Expenditure Subvention Scheme conforming to new EU mandatory guidelines. Based on a contract with each airport, this scheme aims to subvent operational expenditure on the provision of core airport services where this cannot be fully covered by the airport's total revenue streams. IWAK has been trading profitably in recent years, and therefore has not received payments under the scheme.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Transport, further to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 13 November 2008, when decisions will be reached in regard to the application for funding by Waterford Regional Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42028/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The question of priorities for funding in respect of Waterford and the other regional airports in 2009 is under consideration at present. I would hope to be in a position to respond in the near future.