Today I asked the Minister for Transport and Power a question in relation to the inadequate air and sea transport services to and from County Donegal. The reason I raised this matter and my reason for raising it on the Adjournment is the general unrest in County Donegal, due to the recent announcement by an air company serving County Donegal from Eglinton, County Derry, known as Emerald Airways. This small company have announced that presently they are going out of business for certain reasons, mostly financial.
I feel, as a public representative representing County Donegal, that I would be failing in my duty if I did not ventilate the seriousness of the bad transport services now in existence in County Donegal. Let us examine the position as we find it. I am told that some 40 years ago we had better services to and from County Donegal than we have today. We had a railway service second to none. I am told that in 1936 the express train could leave the City of Derry, collect the passengers from the towns of Inishowen and north County Donegal at Derry, collect the passengers at Strabane from the eastern parts of Donegal and be in this city in three hours. That service has been withdrawn because of the constant and deliberate policy of the present Minister for Transport and Power.
Some 12 months ago or more, the boat service, which was very much appreciated by the number of people who, out of necessity, because they cannot earn their living in their native county, must migrate to the northern parts of the British Isles, to Glasgow and the southern parts of Scotland, was withdrawn. When a question was addressed to the Minister by my colleague, Deputy O'Donnell, on 26th July this year, he said the withdrawal of that boat service would in no way affect the tourist industry in County Donegal, nor would it affect in any way the ability of the people to move to and from Scotland and Donegal because of the fact that a service was now being provided at Eglinton, Derry, by Emerald Airways.
It is a sad reflection on a native Government that, because of deliberate policies outlined by them, implemented by them, now many of the mothers in Donegal are asking: "How is my son or daughter going to come back for Christmas?" Most people working in Scotland from Donegal come back for Christmas and come back for the summer months. Most of them have booked with this air company. All arrangements have been made to come home for Christmas. Now, the only alternative is to use the service provided by British European Airways into Belfast.
The Minister for Transport and Power calmly stated here on 26th July that the services provided at Eglinton were ample, adequate and acceptable to him and would serve the people of Donegal without any protest from either Deputy O'Donnell or myself in relation to his lack of interest in the withdrawal of the boat service from Glasgow to Derry. I feel that the least any public representative can do is to make an earnest appeal to the Minister to concern himself urgently with this problem. We now are faced with the situation that we have neither sea, air nor rail services out of Donegal to the northern parts of the British Isles, namely, Glasgow and the southern shires of Scotland or to our capital city.
Basically, the argument I am making here today is focussed on the transport arrangements which most people in Donegal use to travel between Glasgow and Derry. It is not just good enough that a Minister for Transport and Power should state in this House that he is not at all interested in what goes on in relation to providing those services, the services being provided by an outside body. They made an appeal to an outside government for financial assistance and I am told that something may develop on those lines.
This is one of the main reasons why I tabled this question to the Minister and why I make this appeal to him. If he is as anxious to co-operate, as indeed he and other Members of the Government would like us to believe, with the northern authorities, here is an opportunity; hear is a case crying out for urgency. Here is a case where he can say to his counterpart in Belfast: "I am concerned with the problem because of the bad services for the people in County Donegal. I am prepared to go along with you in backing Emerald Airways, or any other company, which is prepared to give the services in or out of Eglinton, which will serve us, or give a service to the people in County Donegal."
Last night I attended a meeting of the Inishowen executive at Carndonagh. The result of this was the sending of a telegram to the Minister for Transport and Power to take action on this with his opposite number. Those people were all of the same political persuasion as I but were a cross-section of the community. Every one of them was of the opinion that something must be done. If the boat service is not to be restored between Glasgow and Derry, then the air service must be restored, or the alternative, as Deputy Cunningham will verify, is for the Minister to go out on his own and provide some airstrip in County Donegal.
I am not terribly concerned whether the airstrip will be in Donegal or whether it will serve counties Derry, Tyrone and Donegal. All I am concerned with is a good service. Admittedly, as a Donegal man, I would prefer to have it in Donegal but if economics dictate that the best way would be to have it at Eglinton airport, which was used by the British Air Force but which is now a civil airport, then I am prepared to yield and ask the people, who might be more parochial than I am, to agree with that and allow that service to be developed for the decent people I represent.
I know on very good authority that this service is quite satisfactory. It is a paying proposition. When they studied the venture, I understand they calculated, and were quite prepared to accept that approximately 10,000 people would use the service. The official figures show that 17,000 people have used that service in the past 12 months. Of those 17,000 people, I am told that approximately 12,500 were travelling to or from Donegal. This suggests that the Minister cannot stand idly by and allow a service which has been developed to some degree to disappear notwithstanding my interest and that of many of my friends as well as, perhaps, Deputy Cunningham's. Certain of Deputy Cunningham's colleagues in Donegal County Council expressed the opinion that they were standing by with a certain amount of excitement, watching the development of this small airport.
I visited the airstrip and saw how the people there went about their business. While people travelling were prepared to accept the primitive conditions at the beginning, they were satisfied that, as time went on, this defect would be overcome. This has been done and without any contribution from the Government of the Republic. Now, if this air service is to go because of the inactivity of our Minister for Transport and Power, it is only reasonable that I, and any other Member of this House representing people who find this a disadvantage, should make an appeal to the Minister, and indeed, dictate to the Minister, that his duty to this House as Minister for Transport and Power is to help to provide a service, as in this particular case, to serve people whom he as a Member of the Government represents.
If the Minister is not prepared to co-operate with the Northern authority and if he is prepared to say: "I have no responsibility," as he often does in reply to many questions addressed to him which are more his concern than Emerald Airways, I want to know what his alternative is and the people of Donegal want to know. If the Minister is not going to provide, or co-operate in the provision, of this service from Eglinton to Glasgow, then is he prepared to come out on his own and develop an airstrip in County Donegal? If he does not think it is feasible to have an airstrip in Donegal, is he prepared to ask the Burns and Laird Line to provide a boat service? Is he prepared to ask the B & I to put on a service from Moville to Glasgow or from Buncrana or Rathmullen, to service migrants and emigrants, who, of necessity, must go to the industries in the south of Scotland to earn a living.
This is an issue of major importance in County Donegal, not alone to the migrants and emigrants but to the tourist industry as well. I am sure Deputy Cunningham will agree with me that one of the main causes of the fall in tourists to Donegal in the last tourist season was the withdrawal of the Glasgow boats. I have heard it said in the seaside resorts in County Donegal: "You do not hear the Glasgow slang any more." At one time when one walked down the streets of Moville or, say, Buncrana, one would think one was in the suburbs of Glasgow city. That was not noticeable in the last tourist season. All businesses have expressed their concern about the urgency and seriousness of the situation and something will have to be done to provide a service to bring back what we call the Glasgow and Paisley fairs. The Minister has done sweet Fanny Adams about providing a service for, first, those people who, of necessity, must travel on these routes, and, secondly, for the tourist industry for which he is responsible through Board Fáilte.
Deputy P. O'Donnell wants to say a few words so I should just like to recap. Before I was born, I am told by an age group a generation older than I, I am sure, that people could travel much faster and with much more comfort to the city of Dublin by rail service than they can on the service we have today. When they wished to go abroad, they could use a sea service from Lough Foyle to connect with a ship to America. They could use a boat service to Glasgow and Liverpool and Derry, which they have not now. The only link they have with the outside world, unless they go to the expense of travelling to Belfast or Dublin Airport, is the link which was developed by an outside authority at this small landing strip at Eglinton.
Unless the Minister plays a prominent part, that will now go by the board. I hope my appeal to the Minister will not be without results. I ask him, first, to contact with the minimum delay his opposite number in Belfast with a view to co-operating in the restoration of this service. I can assure the Minister that any assistance I can give towards having the service restored will be given with a heart and a half.
