AQO 1140/22-27 Oral question to the Minister for Infrastructure
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure what input his Department will have into the development of any aviation strategy agreed by the Executive, relating to road and rail access, further to York Aviation's Air Connectivity to Support Inbound Tourism and Business Growth report submitted to the Department for the Economy.
Asked by David Honeyford MLA on 7 November 2024
- Answered
- Oral
- Answered in the Chamber
- Tabled
- 7 November 2024
- Answer due by
- 18 November 2024
- Answered
- 18 November 202411 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Infrastructure
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Answered in the Assembly Chamber on 18 November 2024. Extract from the Official Report (Hansard), including any supplementary questions:
Mr O'Dowd
The York Aviation report calls for the development of an airport policy, and I welcome the fact that this is now in development. Our airports play an important role for our economy by providing the vital connectivity that we, as an island, rely on. Primary responsibility for the development of the policy lies with the Department for the Economy. Given the importance of airport connectivity to future growth and success, I am keen that my officials be consulted on the development of the policy. Preliminary discussions have already taken place between officials, and I expect that that will continue during policy development. The York Aviation report also calls for a clear structure of responsibility for aviation policy development in the North, and I have helped provide a pathway for this by agreeing in principle to the transfer of my airport responsibilities to the Department for the Economy. The current split in responsibility is a consistent cause of concern amongst airport and airline stakeholders, as they believe that it leads to a lack of coherence. The steps that I have taken, along with the development of an airport policy, should help address this issue.
Mr Honeyford
Every year, we pay for reduced air passenger duty. Will the Minister provide an assessment of how imminent long-haul flights from Belfast might be and what DFI is doing to assist in that?
Mr O'Dowd
I missed the start of the question, but I think that it is in relation to —. Sorry?
Mr Speaker
It is air passenger duty.
Mr O'Dowd
Thank you. My Department has no role or remit as regards air passenger duty. Those matters fall under DFE.
Mr Delargy
Minister, what is the rationale behind DFI's airport powers transferring to DFE?
Mr O'Dowd
In my opinion, it makes for more coherent policy direction for our airports. DFE already has the significant proportion of those airport responsibilities. The small matters that I look after, such as management of land adjacent to airports and noise control, fit better with DFE and allow a single point of contact for airports.