Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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97. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has had engagement with other Departments with the view to providing Clare County Council with Exchequer money to make the transfer of Shannon Heritage sites a success. [56246/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In May of this year the Department of Transport established an inter-departmental working group to consider how the transfer could be supported across Government, as the Department of Transport itself has no mechanism to fund financial support to Shannon Heritage or the local authorities.

My Department was represented on the Group along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the OPW and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.

The inter-departmental group have met four times to date, and have identified a number of ways the transfer could be supported. The group’s findings were communicated to the Shannon Airport Group and Clare County Council by the Department of Transport, and both have been asked to continue their engagement in light of the supports identified, with a view to reaching agreement on a transfer.

Minister of State Naughton has also recently written to the Ministers of Housing and Tourism and the Minister of State for OPW with a view to seeking any further supports that might be identified to facilitate the transfer.

Once the remaining issues around the transfer are resolved, the Shannon Airport Group will be in a position to seek the formal consent of the Minister for Transport and myself to execute the transfer of the Shannon Heritage business and the relevant heritage sites and this will be done with the agreement of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

I recognise the importance of these heritage sites to the mid-west region, and I want to see the transfer of the Shannon Heritage business and heritage sites proceed as planned to secure the future of the businesses and their employees and my officials remain available to support and advise as required.