asked the Minister for Transport and Power if, in view of the anxiety created by his recent statement in Limerick concerning the future of Shannon Airport, he will now make a full statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Future of Shannon Airport.
15.
My actual words last Saturday were:
"The permanent well-being of Shannon Airport as a passenger terminal could not be assured or guaranteed alone by the Government or the Irish airline".
Permanent well-being could not, under any conceivable interpretation, mean anything but the growth of the terminal passenger traffic at that Airport. I went on to say that the funds available to Bord Fáilte and the Shannon Free Airport Development Co. would never be sufficient for this purpose. I said that, for this reason, I hoped the people of Limerick and the surrounding counties would support the new Tourist Federation by making available sufficient funds to ensure continuous high-pressure salesmanship for tourist traffic and for promotional works and amenities. One of the objectives should be to sell Shannon to Americans as the normal centre for seeing the matchless scenery in the West and for fishing, golfing, etc. SFADCo could give help in coordinating a joint campaign of western tourist development associations, including, of course, Kerry and Galway.
It is estimated that in the present financial year contributions amounting to over £1¾ million will be made directly for the maintenance and development of Shannon Airport and the Housing and Industrial Estates. These comprise: £360,000 for the general improvement of the Airport; £1,400,000 by SFADCo for the Industrial and Housing Estates, including £100,000 for warehousing at Shannon; £40,000 will be spent by SFADCo for promotional work to attract tourists to Shannon.
A further £1 million will be spent on publicity and sales by the national airline, a satisfactory proportion of which goes towards attracting tourists to Shannon. In addition, £50,000 will be spent by Bord Fáilte for publicity in the USA in which Shannon is clearly advertised as the disembarkation point for the scenic attractions of the West.
The only occasions when the future of Shannon Airport were in jeopardy were, first, in 1948 when the first Coalition Government pursued a policy which had been expressed in a statement made in Dáil Éireann by Deputy James Dillon on 19th April, 1947— Dáil Debates Vol. 105, Column 982:—
In my opinion, it would be much better to spend most of our future appropriations on the development of air traffic at Collinstown. Whatever future this country may have as a centre of air navigation it will be near Collinstown and we may just as well make up our minds that with the development of the modern aeroplane, it can easily proceed from New York to London or Paris without stretching its capacity.
and, second, in 1956 during the term of the second Coalition Government when jet aircraft became operational and no plans were made to adapt Shannon Airport to their use.
In the year 1962, the number of transit passengers through Shannon Airport was 207,100. This number is diminishing and will tend to diminish in the years to come. Changes in organisation may become necessary to suit new patterns of traffic. The number of terminal passengers at Shannon in 1962 was 163,000, an increase of 107 per cent over 1957. If the number of terminal passengers is to increase so as to maintain, in my words "the permanent well-being of Shannon Airport as a passenger terminal" then, as in the case of every tourist region in Europe adjacent to an airport, local associations should supplement the work of the national agencies in proportion to the traffic secured and in proportion to the expenditure by the national companies, making due allowance for the regional income and the relative prosperity of this and competing countries.
I am glad to say that a wide measure of approval for this policy is more than evident on every side and that a number of tourist associations are in process of formation which will work in close co-operation with Bord Fáilte.
Will the Minister once and for all put an end to the confusion and awful uncertainty that have been hanging over Shannon Airport by producing a comprehensive plan which will show quite clearly the future plans for Shannon within the framework of Irish air transport development, a plan which will show quite clearly how far the Government are prepared to go, and exactly how local effort can contribute? Will the Minister avail himself of the opportunity provided by the Estimate for his Department, which he will introduce in the near future, to produce such a plan and bring to an end once and for all the speculation and confusion?
There has been a specific plan for the development of Shannon Airport. Permanent buildings to deal with future traffic are gradually being completed. Many changes have been made continuously during the past three years to improve the amenities at Shannon. The Deputy knows that the plan in regard to the industrial estate at Shannon has been made perfectly plain and public and the extent to which the Government are prepared to give aid to Shannon was stated by me recently.
Passenger traffic depends on the extent to which Americans can be induced to make use of Shannon Airport as a tourist centre. That depends on the success of the publicity and promotional programme which in turn depends on the collaboration of local interests with national interests. I do not know of any country that is prepared to plan in regard to passenger traffic as between now and ten years from now in an absolute sense, because the pattern of traffic changes. One has to watch to see what developments take place, what changes there are, and how tourist traffic is to be drawn by different methods of propaganda. Another thing is that planes change speedily. All sorts of factors lead to uncertainty, and so far as we can be certain of the future pattern, we are doing our best for Shannon Airport.
Will the Minister agree that there is need for some co-ordinating body to co-ordinate the efforts of the Shannon Development Area and the effort of Bord Fáilte in the promotion of tourism in the Shannon Area? What we do not understand in Limerick is why the Minister did not long ago take the initiative in promoting——
This is becoming a speech.
——a regional tourist campaign. As the Minister is aware, local efforts have been made in County Limerick in recent years to promote angling but people in certain areas who were prepared to provide accommodation for anglers found they could not get a grant to do so.
The Deputy knows very well that there is a specific campaign to develop angling tourism throughout the country and it is progressing very well. The number of anglers who are coming here each year, both for coarse fishing and game angling, is constantly increasing. There is complete co-ordination so far as it can be effected between local associations, Bord Fáilte and the Inland Fisheries Trust, and a definite campaign of exploitation and development is arranged each year. I have very few examples in my mind of where there has been a lack of promotion in the particular areas which was due either to the failure of the Inland Fisheries Trust to implement a campaign planned and prepared in a previous period, or of Bord Fáilte to co-operate with local interests. The two agencies have been co-operating very well and have made very few noticeable mistakes.
Would the Minister tell us did he supply a copy of the script of this speech which he made to the members of the Press?
I did, indeed.
The Minister gave us to understand that he was misquoted.
That is a very different matter.
There was a false heading put over his speech.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy should not address me in that fashion.
I beg your pardon, Sir.
This is not a suitable time to indulge in a debate.
I want to ask a question.
A debate on this matter is not in order.
(Interruptions.)
One Minister is supposed to be answering and let him answer.
You were going to put rabbits on the Shannon Airport.
Behave yourself.
This is becoming a debate and I cannot allow any further questions.
With respect Sir, the only person who is being disorderly is the Minister——
I will decide who is disorderly.
I want to ask one question.
I will allow one question and one question only.
Will the Minister state whether he was misreported? Will he answer that?
That does not arise from the question.
It does, because the Minister stated it here.
It does not arise.
Will the Minister say whether he was speaking for himself or the Government?
That has nothing to do with the matter.
It has. Was the Minister——
Question No. 16.
That is the question I want answered.
The answer is that I supplied a script to the newspapers and the point is that the words were taken out of their context and a misinterpretation put on them by certain people which no sensible man would put on them. It is ridiculous to suggest that I am practically closing Shannon Airport or inviting its destruction when I use the words "the permanent well-being of Shannon Airport as a passenger terminal". Of course I want to see more terminal passengers to offset the steadily declining number of transit passengers which was frankly predicted by the Taoiseach in 1957 and arising from which the Industrial Estate was set up. I want to see more terminal passengers and we will take advantage of all the help we can get from the national airline, Bord Fáilte, SFADCo and from the people in the area.
We want to stop Fine Gael from knocking Shannon.
(Interruptions.)
That man is closing everything. He is tearing up railway lines.
If it is going to follow CIE——
Do some more damage to Shannon.
Nobody could do more damage than the Minister.
I will allow no more questions on Question No. 15. Question No. 16.