asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will endeavour to provide a State airport in County Donegal in view of the difficulties in providing good road transport and in the absence of rail and sea services.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Airport.
31.
I am satisfied that the airports at Dublin, Cork and Shannon are adequate to meet the country's present demands in so far as State airports are concerned. The prospective traffic, together with the heavy investment and high operating costs involved, would not justify the provision of a State airport in County Donegal at the present time.
I might add that passenger travel requirements to and from County Donegal are catered for by means of CIE Expressway bus service between Donegal town, Letterkenny, Derry and Dublin.
In his conclusion that we are adequately catered for by existing airports, which are so far from us that they do not really matter even if we could get there, has the Minister taken into account that a prime location in Donegal would cater not only for Donegal but would take in Derry city and county, a great part of Tyrone and three-quarters of Donegal? Is the Minister aware that we have no transport? CIE and its road transport cannot be regarded as a service. Has the Minister taken into account the fact that we have no rail service and have not had such a service for many years due to a stupid political decision taken by people over whom we had no control then, nor do we have now, that we have no sea transport——
The Deputy is making a speech. Perhaps he could put in a question mark somewhere?
I do not want to be repetitive. I could put in a question mark after each of the points I made. Is the Minister aware that, because of the unduly heavy traffic on roads today—not only in Donegal but elsewhere—shortly we shall have no roads on which to move our road transport. Having regard to all these facts, surely in this age there must be some way that an air service will be provided for the north-west?
The Deputy will appreciate that to set up a fourth airport in the country would be an enormous burden on the Exchequer especially in view of the amount of traffic likely to be available. I do not think the Deputy's proposal is realistic and I doubt if he considers it realistic.
Is the Minister seriously suggesting that three airports in the southern part of the country can be justified, at State or other expense, while the northern part of the country only has an airport at Belfast?
I think the Deputy will appreciate that the airports that are there now are catering adequately for the country generally. To suggest that we should incur enormous expenditure to provide another airport in Donegal, with very poor prospects of having any worthwhile use made of it, would not be justified.
We must move to the next business. We have long passed the time for questions.
Will the Minister have another look at this matter on the basis that there is a greater potential for a successfully operated air service from Donegal than can be achieved in the Cork Airport? I am not saying they do not deserve an airport in Cork but potentially there is greater traffic in Donegal than in Cork. In addition, there is also an airport at Shannon, 60 miles from Cork.
I am calling the next business.
I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy during the afternoon.
I should like to get the guidance of the Chair on the following matter. In the course of exchanges between the Minister for Fisheries and myself yesterday, the Minister referred to me as a reptile because I stated that he recently had a meeting with a Mr. X, since identified as a Mr. Stafford. I wish to ask the Chair if he will place before the Committee on Procedure and Privileges the register of visitors for the past six weeks?
I wish to point out to the Deputy that it is not in order to raise the matter now.
I appreciate that. I have no intention of being disorderly.
As Ceann Comhairle, I would not wish that it should become the practice that Deputies' visitors would be listed and made available to people. If the Deputy wishes to have this matter raised at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, he knows how that can be done, by approaching some member of the committee.
The Ceann Comhairle is in charge of the House. There is the question of the register of visitors over which the Committee on Procedure and Privileges have no power. That is the Ceann Comhairle's function.
I would advise the Deputy to mention it to somebody. The Ceann Comhairle presides at these meetings and will mention the matter.
I wish to point out that questions for which written answers are not sought will appear on the Order Paper of 25 April.
Will they be in the order they are in now?
The Taoiseach's questions are always first. Otherwise the order will be kept as it is.