I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 65, 105 and 192 together.
Proposals in regard to the development of Dublin Airport, including the planning and provision of runway capacity, are in the first instance a matter for the Dublin Airport Authority which has statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop the airport and to provide such facilities and services as it considers necessary for aircraft and passengers.
Dublin Airport will remain the country's main airport serving the needs not just of the travelling public in our capital city and the surrounding counties but also of the country's tourism, business and freight sectors generally. Notwithstanding the greatly welcome increase over recent years in traffic at Shannon and Cork Airports and at the regional airports, Dublin Airport will remain crucial to the national economy. In this regard, passenger traffic through Dublin Airport is expected to grow from over 17 million last year to an estimated 23 million in 2009 and is forecast to increase to 30 million by around 2017.
It is also noteworthy that the national spatial strategy has acknowledged that the expansion of the level of air services from Dublin Airport to a wider range of destinations is essential in the interests of underpinning Ireland's future international competitiveness.
The Dublin Airport Authority submitted its application for planning permission for the new runway to Fingal County Council in December last and the current planning process provides the appropriate forum for all interested parties, including local communities and residents, to have their views and concerns heard and taken into account by the planning authorities.
Dublin Airport has the scope and potential to expand to cater for future growth in air traffic for the foreseeable future. The lands necessary for the new runway began to be acquired in the late 1960s and, as far back as 1972, the then Dublin County Council included the proposed new runway in the county development plan. Thus, as a result of good long-term planning stretching back over four decades, the capacity now exists to provide the proposed second parallel runway and facilitate the continued growth of Dublin Airport.
I have no proposal to commission any study of alternative options for the provision of airport capacity to serve the greater Dublin area. Subject to planning permission, it is envisaged that the Dublin Airport Authority will provide such capacity through the expansion of existing facilities and infrastructure at Dublin Airport. I am informed by the Dublin Airport Authority that all capital projects are subjected to rigorous appraisal procedures and ultimately board approval in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Department of Finance.