Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

605. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason for the EU guidelines on State aids to airports; the way such a narrow approach on his Department's approach is consistent with the aim of the guidelines to be flexible for isolated regions; the reason he is introducing a five year deadline on the implementation period as opposed to the ten years allowed within the guidelines; if he or his Department's officials or officials of any agency or company under the remit of his Department consulted with the Dublin Airport Authority in the drawing up of his Department's interpretation; and if so, the DAA input into the interpretation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38216/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The 2014 EU Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines set out the principles applying to such State aid in accordance with the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union. They replace the 1994 and 2005 Guidelines and in doing so, reflect the outcomes of a number of State aid cases heard before the European Court of Justice. Rather than interpret the Guidelines, each Member State is required to give their explicit unconditional agreement to their implementation. Ireland has already done so.

In terms of operating aid to airports, the 2014 Guidelines recognise that smaller airports may have difficulties in ensuring the financing of their airports and, accordingly, provide for a 10 year transitional period once certain conditions are met. In addition to the recommendations arising out of the IWAK Study Group, the Department’s draft Regional Airports Programme for 2015 – 2019, which sets out the policy with respect to State supports for regional airports for that period, also reflects the criteria set out in the 2014 Guidelines.

That Programme, which is currently with the EU Commission for approval, does not contain a proposal to introduce an alternative transitional period to the one set out in the 2014 Guidelines. It will be a matter for Government to decide on whether to put in place a follow-up programme beyond 2019 depending on the availability of resources.

Neither the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) nor any other agency within the remit of the Department were consulted in relation to the preparation of the new Programme. State airports are not included in the Regional Airports Programme and get no Exchequer funding.