Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding that has been awarded to each of the regional airports under the future jobs investment fund since February 2016. [48607/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I understand that the Deputy is referring to the commitment of an additional €10m in funding for the regional airports, announced in February 2016 and incorporated into the Programme for Government. 

As the Deputy will be aware, that commitment, along with other Programme for Government

commitments of a capital nature, was part of the mid-term review of the current Capital Plan that was carried out by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that my Department secured over €17 million in additional capital funding for the Regional Airports Programme to support the four smaller airports in Donegal, Knock, Kerry and Waterford, with these additional resources coming into play in the period 2019 to 2021.

This is considerably in excess of the €10 million in extra Capital Plan funding that was originally mooted in the Programme for Government.

The Regional Airports Programme will continue to support necessary safety and security investments by these airports to ensure that they can continue to contribute to enhanced regional connectivity for businesses and tourism.

Details of Exchequer support, both capital and current , provided to the four regional airports in 2016 are set out in the following table:

2016 Exchequer grant support - Regional Airports Programme (€uro)

Details of capitalgrant funding approved to date in 2017 are as follows:-

2017 Approved Exchequer Capital Funding to date - Regional Airports Programme (€uro)

*approved project deferred to 2018

My Department is currently considering the applications received recently from the airports in respect of grant assistance towards (current ) operational costs and expenses in the areas of safety and security for 2017 and I will be making an announcement in this regard before year end.