Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Transport if the figure published in section 7.5 key indicator 5 – operating costs per airport, table 7.4 for Galway Airport contained in the report Value for Money Review of Exchequer Expenditure on the Regional Airports Programme – Department of Transport June 2010 is incorrect based on the audited accounts as submitted to his Department (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4232/11]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Value for Money Review of Exchequer Expenditure on the Regional Airports Programme was completed during 2010 and published on 12 January 2011. The figure referred to by the Deputy for operating costs at Galway Airport in 2009 is correctly stated as €3,588,827 in Section 6.4.4. Galway Airport - Table 6.15 Revenues, Costs and OPEX subvention received since 2005. However, due to a clerical error the figure for operating costs in 2009 was incorrectly stated in the further table and location in the Report mentioned by the Deputy. I would like to apologise for this mistake and to assure the Deputy that the reference and any related commentary in the section of the Review will be rectified.

Section 6.4.4. of the Review correctly noted that the trend towards steadily increasing OPEX subvention "continued until last year [2009], when a major cost cutting scheme by the airport meant that losses sustained were minimised somewhat." The Review also correctly commented that "Despite having the benefit of a PSO route, Galway Airport was still not breaking even during the height of the economic boom. Further losses along the lines of what were sustained in 2009 are to be expected in the short-term at least. All things being equal, this means that OPEX funding in the region of €1m will be required to make up the shortfall." For 2010, a total of €1,799,339 was provided to Galway under the OPEX scheme.

I should point out that Key Indicator 5, was only one of the indicators used in the Review and the overall conclusions and recommendations of the Review are not affected.

Proposals for revised schemes for the Core Airport Management Operational Expenditure Subvention (OPEX) scheme and the Capital Expenditure Grants (CAPEX) scheme will be submitted to Government in due course.