Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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We are pre-empting matters by inferring that the national aviation policy will have some strong statements, just like the national planning framework and Ireland 2040. I am sure there will be strong statements in there about the other regions of Ireland and other international airports. It strikes me that if this gets a green light through the planning process - it has entirely circumvented that process, which is also important - it will happen some time this year. I think Dublin Airport Authority has got ahead of the Government.

I have another question on aviation. The regional airports programme review has been mooted for some time. We were expecting there might be an outcome to that in the days before Christmas. That did not materialise. We are again heading quite rapidly towards the bumper summer aviation season. The authorities at many airports in the west of Ireland, including Shannon in my constituency, are worried about what lies ahead thereafter. Is the Minister considering raising the ceiling?

A PSO application has been before the Department since 2021 with regard to having a continental European flight service in and out of Shannon, especially in light of Brexit and how geographically peripheral the west of Ireland is. That application has been before the Department for three years now. If it is to happen, that would be wonderful. We would all love that. If it is not to happen, it needs to be moved off the desk because there is a belief that it is becoming a barrier to commercial airlines considering routes to continental Europe. There is this "Will they or won't they?", suggestion about the PSO application on the Minister's desk. It ideally needs to be signed off on. However, if there is some fundamental block to it being agreed the Minister needs to come out and say it, and allow commercial activity to flow in a more natural state rather the state of suspense we have had for three years.