Government reneged on airport debt, says Kenny

FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has criticised the Government for failing to honour a commitment that the new Cork Airport Authority wouldn’t face a start-up debt of over €130 million.

Mr Kenny toured the airport for a number of hours yesterday and subsequently launched his attack on the Government at a special party fundraising lunch held in the Clarion Hotel.

“If you say something you should stand by it and honour your word,” Mr Kenny said.

He was making reference to comments by previous Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan, who promised that following the break-up of Aer Rianta, Cork Airport wouldn’t be left on its own to face the bill for the €130 million upgrade of facilities.

Current Transport Minister Martin Cullen recently said the decision would not be made on the debt until he had seen a business plan for the airport. However, he wouldn’t be drawn on whether the Government would honour the commitment given by his predecessor.

“When a statement is made on behalf of the Government it should be honoured by the Government. [Otherwise] it’s not the way to do business,” Mr Kenny told nearly 300 of the party’s faithful.

He said Cork Airport would be a magnet for trade in the region for the next 50 years and as such it was deserving of the commitment given by Mr Brennan.

Mr Kenny also launched into the Government for spending millions of taxpayers’ money on spin-doctoring.

“The challenge for the Fine Gael party is build on its image and brand and that means that what it says it will do,” he said.

Performances in the last local and European elections were encouraging, he said, and were a platform on which the party would build for the next general election, which he was confident the party would do extremely well in.

“I said to Bertie Ahern face-to-face recently that the next election would be like [a fight between] Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard up and down the country. We have to raise e3 million in the next two years to fight an efficient election,” Mr Kenny said.

Making reference to a possible pact with Labour, he said he couldn’t speak for Pat Rabbitte but was hopeful they could put together something which “will be real and practical”.