Will the Minister give an assurance that he will issue a licence on the completion of this airport?

That is another question.

Will the Minister review his derogatory comments, the foggy comments he made some time ago?

I cannot give the Deputy the assurance he seeks but he will appreciate that licences for airports can only be issued when it is clear that all the technical and safety considerations are met. In relation to what he calls my derogatory comments, I want to make it clear that they were not intended to be derogatory, they were factual. I am sorry that my factual comments were considered derogatory by some people who, understandably, are emotionally involved in this project.

A deliberate choice of words.

Would the Minister accept that the best way the taxpayers can be protected is for the licence to be issued so that this facility can be used for the betterment of the taxpayers and the people in the area? As for his "factual comments" maybe it was a rainy day but statistics will prove that there is a lot less for in that area than there is at Dublin Airport.

As I said, I cannot give a commitment in advance as regards the issuing of licences. I said that I informed the board of the company that I will be as helpful as possible and I will not be obstructive in this regard.

There is a slight nuance of change in the Minister's statement.

3.