Vol. 558 No. 1
69 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Transport the number of responses he has received to his announcement of 2 August 2002 seeking proposals for a second terminal at Dublin Airport by the closing date of 31 October 2002; the nature of the expressions of interest and the sources of the funding to put them into effect; the way in which it is intended to make a decision on the proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23445/02]
A total of 13 submissions were received by the due closing date of 31 October from the following Irish and overseas companies and consortia in response to the call in early August by my Department for "expressions of interest" in the concept of a second independent terminal at Dublin Airport: HBG Ascon Limited, Grupo Dragados, Metropark Limited (Consortium); Hochtief Airport GMBH, Shelbourne Development Limited (Consortium); Fichtner Airports GMBH, URS Ireland (Consortium); Ambac Assurance UK Limited; Irish Association of International Express Carriers; Vinci Park Ser vices Ireland Limited; Laing O'Rourke, Metropark Limited. (Consortium); Ryanair Limited; CityJet Limited; HRL Morrison and Company Limited; Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Limited; Alterra Partners Limited; Peel Airports Limited.
I announced yesterday the establishment of a small panel of experts to conduct a professional and independent assessment of these submissions. Mr. Paddy Mullarkey, former Secretary General of the Department of Finance, is the chairman of the panel and he is assisted by experts in the aviation-airports sector from the United Kingdom and the United States.
The work of the panel, which I expect to be completed before the end of January, will assist me in framing a report to Government on this issue. The panel will examine and assess the "expressions of interest" in the first instance.
The current exercise is not a tender process but rather an informal canvass of the market for ideas which will assist me in determining if the concept of a second independent or competing terminal would deliver significant benefits. The responses received will also enable me to determine what further actions I may need to take to allow this concept to be further progressed, including the possible initiation in due course of a formal public tendering process for the provision of such a facility.
The published notice which called for " expressions of interest" set out a number of areas which interested parties were required to address in their submissions. These included a clear specification of the precise nature of their proposed concept, the preferred location for a second terminal, the benefits for airlines and other airport users, etc. The Department was not prescriptive regarding these issues. It was entirely a matter for interested parties to address as they saw fit each of the areas covered in the notice, including the financing and economic dimensions of their proposals.
Question No. 70 answered with Question No. 62.
