Matt Shanahan questions if Government is gunning for Waterford Airport

Thank you very much and thanks to the House for the forbearance. I want to congratulate and thank our Government for the belated wisdom in amending the Department of Transport's Provisional Tender Questionnaire for the Irish Coast Guard Airsea Rescue Services. As you know, it comes as a great relief to all of us in the South-East who rely on this service, but I think it begs the question of was a larger strategic game being played here. There was no committee of inquiry and no business case analysis and it was amazing how quickly the questionnaire could be amended. I do not think there was any fear, to be fair, from the Department of Transport that they were going to look for a reduction in helicopters because I do not think it can be done. But I think rather what was afoot here was putting down a marker that the Department wants the flexibility to close Waterford Airport. It is interesting listening to Deputy Healey Ray asking for support for Kerry Regional Airport. In the last year, as you know, the government has withdrawn €350,000 in stopgap funding and excluded Waterford Airport from aviation supports totaling €180 million this year. I asked this against the backdrop of capital spending in the state that is now cresting over €10 billion. As you know, the South-East represents 10% of the country's population, yet we are on course at present to get 2% of the capital funding. Plans for our new engineering building at WIT and Carlow appear to be mothballed. No further funding to build on the existing land banks that we have. That new engineering building was promised in 2009 and committed again to in 2014. Improvements to the N24 and N25 again, Taoiseach. Vital arterial routes in a region with limited public transport options have been quietly withdrawn in the past few weeks. We have had little progress in developing 24-7 cardiac care. The North Keys is presently stalled and the boundary extension to Waterford was gerrymandered some years ago. The list goes on, Taoiseach, 10% of the people, 2% of the national capital and all the social, economic and cultural damage that this does. So my question to you Taoiseach is very plain today. Are you gunning for our airport and can I ask you, will it survive your watch? I think that last assertion is ridiculous, Deputy. There is no one gunning for anybody. The Government does not want to close any airport, has no interest in closing any airport. The issue in relation to the tender from the Department of Transport, I think illustrates the Minister's response in amending the tender requirements for search and rescue to specify that four bases, Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford, would be provided for. So I think it depends on the lens through which one looks at things but I think you are really developing a conspiracy theory around this that doesn't really stack up in respect of the specific issue of a tender for search and rescue. I would say also that the Government did allocate 100 million in URDF support to Waterford for two projects, Waterford City and North Quays and Tramore Town Centre. It is not the Government's fault that there has been difficulty in respect of one of those projects. I mean the Government allocates funding to local authorities on the basis of projects that are submitted to the Government. It then is up to the local authorities and people on the ground to execute those projects and to get the allocations that they have spent. And I think that the stack, that is, you know, the Government showed its commitment by allocating substantial funding, record funding under the Urban Renewal Development Fund. In terms of the IDEA, also Minister Troy will shortly publish a new South East Regional Enterprise Plan. That is a bottom-up plan, developed again by local stakeholders, including the local authorities, the enterprise agencies, local enterprise offices, regional skills, form and education and training institutes in the region. It is progressing very, very well. And the Saudi steering committee will meet next month to sign off on the strategic objectives and supporting actions. And then it is intended to publish it. There are 74 IDEA client companies now in the South East region, employing about 13,461 people. The foreign direct investment performance in the region has been strong over the past five years. Employment rising among IDEA client companies by 24%. The main clusters in the region, as you know, are high-value manufacturing, with over 10,000 jobs now in the life sciences cluster of companies spread right across the region. And that will grow. And the FDI has been positive. And that is reflected in the South East. The region has very important clusters now in technology, engineering and industrial technologies, international financial services, which are complemented by research centres. So, for example, if you take Repligen Corporation, 130 jobs in Waterford, that was announced in August of 2021. Bosch and Lama, 130 jobs in July of 2021. Horizon Therapeutics, 90 jobs in June of 2021. Trilateral Research, 40 jobs in Waterford, November 2020. CSC, 75 jobs in Wexford, November 2020. State Street, 400 jobs in September 2021 announced. And then you have the Technological University of the South East. Great progress now made on that. We are hoping all parties are working towards its establishment on the 1st of May 2022. And funding has also been provided. And the CAT lab, all existing. Sorry, I'll let you come back. What you are referencing there is the ability of people in the South East to get up and go. And I absolutely concur with that. But the issue I was talking about is an infrastructural piece, which is Waterford Airport. And you accuse me of a conspiracy, developing conspiracy theories. And I put it to you again, the withdrawal of €350,000 annual stopgap funding. Exclusion from 180 million aviation sector for an airport that is privately supported. So what I'd ask you to do is give a clear-throated commitment now to Waterford Airport. And I won't bring this back up on the order of business in the Dáil again. That's what people want to hear, Taoiseach. Waterford is down in your own programme for government as being the strategic driver of the South East region. And how are we to do that if we are not to get investment to strategic infrastructure? So I ask you, please Taoiseach, will you give a commitment here today on the Dáil record to the future support, the economic support of Waterford Regional Airport into the future? Well, in the first instance, again, there are a whole range of constraints that govern aviation policy in terms of airports and so on. The most important strategic investment in Waterford and the Saudis is the new technological university. That is the most important investment that will occur. It needs to happen, it will happen, and it will be followed with investment. There's a range of areas that need investment. That is key in terms of leveraging more research investment, which it will. And I can, as a lifelong passionate advocate for education and higher education research. We're not talking about the TU, I'm talking specifically about the airport. I'm trying to say to you that you spoke about strategic investment. Yes, across a range of areas. Where I would differ from you is this, Deputy Shannon, is I would put far more emphasis on the necessity of the university. They're all necessary, Taoiseach, because they're all needed. Thank you. Fair enough. Thank you for facilitation. Thank you.