David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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343. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the precise nature of restrictions in funding capital projects at regional airports; if he will provide further details with regard to comments made by the secretary general of his Department at the Committee on Public Accounts on 23 February 2017 that a change in national policy would be required to ensure greater flexibility in funding regional airports; the rationale for existing policy; his plans to change policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10902/17]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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344. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which EU directives restrict capital funding at regional airports; the way in which these directives are applied here; if his Department has sought changes at EU level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10903/17]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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349. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has met the board or representatives of Waterford airport in 2017; the nature of the engagement; the persons present; the nature of the discussion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10921/17]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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350. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if officials from his Department met the board or representatives of Waterford airport in 2016 and 2017; the number of meetings that took place; the nature of the engagements; the persons present; the nature of the discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10922/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 343, 344, 349 and 350 together.

The rules and restrictions governing the extent to which Member States may give financial aid to airports are contained in the 2014 EU Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines(2014/C 99/03) which is published on the website of the European Commission.

My Department secured approval from the EU Commission in August 2015 for a multi-annual programme of supports for our four regional airports in Donegal, Ireland West Airport Knock, Kerry and Waterford. The , which is available on my Department's website found that our programme complied with the compatibility criteria specified in the 2014 Guidelines and hence compatible with Article 107(3)(c) TFEU.

That programme, the 2015-2019, is also available on my Department's website. This Programme details the manner in which the 2014 EU Guidelines are applied to our four regional airports and it also covers our support for PSO air services.

In the case of State aid for capital projects at the regional airports, referred to in our Programme as the 'CAPEX Scheme', Exchequer support is confined to safety and security related investments and is not available for developmental projects involving capacity extensions and enhancements at these airports. This is what the Secretary General of my Department referred to at the PAC meeting on 23 February last and it reflects policy adopted following a Value for Money Review of Exchequer Funding for Regional Airports in 2011.

Infrastructural capacity expansions at any of the regional airports are a commercial decision for those airports. 

With regard to meetings with the Airport this year, I met with both the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Airport, together with board member (and CEO of Waterford City and County Council) Michael Walsh on 13th February last. The discussion centred around the efforts to secure a carrier for the Airport. In February of last year, officials of my Department met with representatives from the four regional airports, including Waterford Airport, to review the operation of the current Regional Airports Programme which had been introduced at the end of the previous year. The Chief Executive and the General Manager represented Waterford Airport at that meeting.