(Limerick East) asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the Government funds, if any, which are made available to the Horan International Airport, County Mayo; if so, the amount of such funds; and if the investment criteria of Finance Circular 1/83 have been met in this case.

Exchequer funds totalling £9,858,004 have been made available to Connaught Airport Development Co. Ltd. in respect of Connaught Airport, County Mayo or Horan International Airport as it is called in the question. The investment criteria outlined in the Department of Finance Circular 1/83 were not applied in this case as preliminary infrastructural works, including the acquisition of the site, began early in 1981. By March 1983 the date the circular was issued, almost £7 million in Exchequer grants had been paid to the airport company.

I understand that Deputy Noonan was not quite happy with the form of this question on the Order Paper, that he feels it differs somewhat from the question submitted. What I want to know is: have the Government made any additional funds available for the airport in 1987?

The answer to that is "no", the funding I have already mentioned being the total State commitment. The late Monsignor Horan himself added £3 million to that funding.