Decision-time a long way off on future of Shannon

WE WERE promised less red tape and fewer quangos when the Government came to power about 15 months ago.

Yet the Fine Gael-Labour administration appears to have no less appetite than previous administrations for endless consultation before making a definitive decision on anything.

Having taken months to decide that Shannon airport should be separated from the Dublin Airport Authority and merged with parts of Shannon Development, which is itself to be broken up, the Government has now decided to set up a steering group and two task forces to advise it on how these matters should proceed.

A draft press release leaked this week to Clare FM shows that a 15-person aviation business development task force will be led by An Bord Gáis chairwoman Rose Hynes.

It will be charged with compiling recommendations on the merger of Shannon airport with the landbank of Shannon Development.

The change management task force will be led by John Fitzgerald, a former Dublin city manager. It will have 10 members, who will make recommendations on the integration of development and tourism functions of Shannon Development into other bodies, such as IDA Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.

These task forces will feed their recommendations up to a steering group, comprising senior civil servants from five departments – transport, tourism and sport; finance; jobs, enterprise and innovation; environment, community and local government; and public expenditure and reform.

The steering group will then report to Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar and Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton, who, in turn, will take recommendations to Cabinet for approval.

Let’s not forget that all of this comes after consultants Booz last year produced a report on the strategic options for Shannon airport and about eight years after former transport minister Séamus Brennan put in place the framework for separation of the three State-owned airports.

Only in Ireland could this happen.