While overall responsibility for the formulation of air transport policy rests with my colleague, the Minister for Public Enterprise, my Department keeps in regular contact with her Department on such matters generally.
My Department has already conveyed detailed views to the Department of Public Enterprise on the future strategic direction of Aer Rianta in the context of tourism policy, and my officials have had discussions with their counterparts in the Department of Public Enterprise on the subject.
My view is that the priority requirement, from a tourism perspective, is the provision of necessary infrastructure and services at our main airports at the lowest possible cost consistent with safe commercial operations. Accordingly, Aer Rianta, the main provider of airport services in the State, has a critical role to play in this context. Competitive air access, to which Aer Rianta strategy has made a major contribution, has been of enormous importance in facilitating tourism growth to Ireland in recent years. Competitive access continues to be a critical element of tourism strategy for an island destination like Ireland. I look forward, therefore, to presenting my views on this subject, and on how Aer Rianta can continue to contribute to maximising Ireland's tourism potential, when the matter is raised in Government.