Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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146. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he considered suspending or ending the discretionary exemption from en route charges for the provision of air traffic control and communications services in Irish-administered airspace to military flights during the period of massive cutbacks in State spending from 2008, given that these exemptions for the military flights of countries such as the United States of America cost the Exchequer approximately €2 million to €3 million each year. [9266/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​The current exemption arrangements stem from Ireland's membership of Eurocontrol, a European intergovernmental organisation established in 1960 for the safety of Air Navigation. The collaborative and cooperative approaches inherent in Ireland's membership of Eurocontrol since 1965 bestows considerable, wider aviation safety and economic benefits to Ireland. 

In common with most of Eurocontrol's 41 Member States, Ireland exempts military flights of Member States of Eurocontrol, the United States and Canada from payment of en route air navigation charges. This arrangement has applied since Ireland joined the Eurocontrol en route charging scheme in the 1970s. Given the wider benefits of Eurocontrol membership, the long-standing and well-established nature of these arrangements, together with the reciprocity provided to Ireland by other participating States, the suspension or ending of the current exemption arrangements was not considered justified in the period referred to by the Deputy.  There are no plans at present to alter the current policy.