Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress made to date on the establishment of full pre-clearance facilities for cargo at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12227/10]

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress made on the establishment of an international Lynxs cargo hub at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12229/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 354 together.

In 2009 the DAA concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Lynxs Group, a global airport cargo facility company, to explore jointly the feasibility of developing a major cargo facility at Shannon Airport.

My Department has recently received the DAA's evaluation of the business case for the project. The DAA has to operate to a commercial mandate and it does not have access to unlimited funds to undertake capital investment. Accordingly consideration of the best way to support the project will take account of the extent of potential investment by the DAA on foot of its evaluation of the business case and any support that could be provided by the State, subject to compliance with EU state aid rules.

The Ireland-U.S. Preclearance Agreement signed by myself and the then U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, on 17 November 2008, does not provide for the preclearance of cargo. However, this is an issue that I raised with Secretary Chertoff at the time and later with his successor Janet Napolitano. Both indicated an openness to further consideration of the feasibility of cargo preclearance from Ireland, but the first priority is to fully establish passenger preclearance for commercial and general aviation at Dublin.