Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will request all airline companies to maintain competitive value for money air fares in 2013 in order to ensure that the maximum number of our diaspora visit the country and ensure that the Gathering is a success; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56307/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The market for air services in and out of Ireland is highly competitive with a very significant number of airlines operating.  The market for air services within the EU has been liberalised since the early 1990s and the market between the EU and the US was liberalised under the EU-US Open Skies agreement in 2007.  It is not open to me or to other Governments to interfere in pricing in the market and airlines are completely free to set their own fares based on their own commercial judgements.

In terms of the competitive value of these fares however, I have been very pleased by recent announcements by a number of the US airlines of additional services and routes into Ireland next year, for example, American Airlines’ new Dublin/New York service, United Airlines’ new Shannon/Chicago service and US Airways Shannon-Philadelphia service.  This  is very welcome in the context of 'The Gathering Ireland 2013'.

Furthermore, Tourism Ireland, the agency with responsibility for the overseas promotion of Ireland as a tourist destination, continues to invest in cooperative marketing activity with airlines and ferry providers. This activity has a strong focus on ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ and advertising campaigns are already underway with Aer Lingus, Ryanair, US Airways, Emirates, Etihad and others highlighting good value fares to Ireland from a number of markets and carrying “The Gathering Ireland” message. Tourism Ireland's cooperative activity with air and sea carriers will continue throughout 2013.