This article is from page 5 of the 2012-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
THE task force charged with responsibility for separating Shannon Airport from Dublin Airport Authority control won’t have a Clare County Council involvement – this is despite demands from the local authority to be included in the process of implementing the airport much-heralded independence and Department of Transport denials that the make of the high-powered committee has already been decided upon.
However, leaks to the effect that the county’s premier decision-making body has been left of the whole process emerged at the weekend when the first six members of the Department of Transport’s eight person ‘steering committee’ were revealed.
The group has been established to advise the Government on the separation of Shannon of from the DAA and its subsequent integration with the property assets of Shannon Development under the new independent airport structure.
Dr Alan Aherne, Declan Keane, Eamonn Brennan, Ed Hansom, Pat Dalton and Rose Hynes have been appointed to the task force, with the remaining appointments to be filled by representatives of both the Departments of Finance and Transport.
Ms Hynes is chairman of Stateowned energy group Bord Gáis and a former executive with Shannonbased aviation leasing group GPA. She is also a former member of the Shannon Airport Authority that was established in 2004 by then Trans port Minister, Seamus Brennan.
Mr Hansom is another former GPA executive who has been appointed to the high-powered committee, while Mr Brennan is chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority.
Mr Dalton is an executive with investment group One51 and a former member of the Cork Aviation Authority.
Mr Aherne is a former adviser at the Department of Finance and is on the board of the Central Bank of Ireland, while Mr Keane was chairman of the interdepartmental working group report on mortgage arrears.
“We want representation on that committee and have to demand it,” Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) told a special meeting of Clare County Council’s Strategic Policy Committee for Community and Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Services last week, with former Mayor of Clare, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) saying “Clare County Council should have proper representation on the new Shannon Airport board.”
Speaking to The Clare People , Clare County Manager Tom Coughlan underlined Clare County Council’s need to be involved in the airport’s future. “The council considers that it should be involved and engaged in any future plans for Shannon Airport,” he said.
“There are issues surrounding the future of the airport which require immediate clarification,” he added. The county manager was referring to plans for the potential development of the council owned land bank in and around Shannon Airport as well as the appointment of a steering group.