Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the supports that will be available for Ireland West Airport Knock as a consequence of budget 2015; if support will be made available from any other Government source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39622/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Exchequer currently provides financial support under the Regional Airports Programme to four regional airports, Donegal, Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK), Kerry and Waterford. There are three schemes operated under this programme - Core Airport Management Operational Expenditure Subvention (OPEX) Scheme; Regional Airports Capital Expenditure Grant (CAPEX) Scheme and a Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services Scheme.  The Government decided last December to continue supports to the four regional airports under those three Schemes. Budget 2015 maintains those supports.  

Following the December Government Decision, my Department prepared a new Regional Airports Programme for the period 2015-2019, which also reflects the terms of the 2014 EU Guidelines on State Aid to airports and airlines, along with the recommendations of the IWAK Study Group. That draft Programme has been submitted to the EU Commission for its consideration and approval. Following its approval, my Department will move to identify the specific supports that will be available to each of the four regional airports, including IWAK, over the life of the Programme.  The draft Programme envisages funding also being obtained by the airports to facilitate their future development from local authorities and local business interests.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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232. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will review the restrictive interpretation his Department has taken in relation to the EU guidelines on financially assisting regional airports as a consequence of recent EU court decisions on regional airports across Europe. [39623/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question 605 of 7th October regarding the 2014 EU Guidelines on State-aid to airports. Those Guidelines set out EU Policy on regional airports and reflect the decisions arising from a number of EU Court cases, in particular, the Altmark and Leipzig/Halle Airport cases. It is not open to any Member State to interpret these Guidelines, but all are required to give their explicit unconditional agreement to their implementation. Ireland has already done so.  

The draft Regional Airports Programme 2015-2019 sets out the policy for State supports for regional airports for that period and reflects the requirements laid down in the Guidelines. That Programme, currently with the EU Commission for consideration and approval, confines State aid supports on capital expenditure by the regional airports to safety and security related projects only. This is in accordance with longstanding Government policy.