New agency to revitalise Mid-West?

A RADICAL overhaul of three of the main development agencies in the Mid-West is being considered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation in a bid to revitalise Shannon International Airport and reduce unemployment in the region.

Enterprise Minister Batt O’Keeffe has asked Shannon Development, Shannon Foynes Port Company and Shannon Airport Authority to bring forward proposals for greater co-operation and co-ordination concerning tourism, industrial development and the promotion of Shannon Airport.
Minister O’Keeffe is anxious that any new model should emerge from the Mid-West instead of being dictated from outside the region. Although the minister and the Department of Enterprise have indicated they will not force a merger of the three bodies, they are considering a number of options including the development of a new umbrella steering group to identify projects that would drive the promotion and development of jobs in the region.
In its Interim Report the Mid-West Task Force called for a review of all enterprise development agencies, including Shannon Development, to ensure that all enterprises in the Mid-West region receives an effective client-centred service from the Government.
The three agencies remained tight-lipped this week on their views about governance structures or the possibility of a merger.
Defence Minister Tony Killeen said the provision of a new holding company with key figures from the three agencies would be attractive as it would have far greater leverage to secure Government funding and would provide a more strategic approach for potential investors who wished to avail of the extensive property portfolios owned by the three agencies.
“In the current economic climate, all areas of governance need to be open to consideration. Any new model would have to look at the close relationship between the SAA and the DAA if a merger was decided,” he said.
A Department of Enterprise spokesman noted that task force chairman, Denis Brosnan, had spoken publicly on the role of bodies such as Shannon Development, Shannon Airport Authority and Shannon Foynes Port Authority in his personal capacity.
“The task force has not yet addressed the role of the State bodies in the region in its reports. The minister will consider the issues and any related ones raised in the final report of the t task force in consultation with all stakeholders,” he said.
Deputy Timmy Dooley is not convinced that an overall merger is the best way forward at this time. He  believes a new model is needed in the region along the lines of the CIE, where the company’s umbrella body acts as a co-ordinating group to drive the development of public transport while Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Ianród Éireann all work on developing their own particular niches.
Deputy Dooley believes the region needs a greater level of co-operation and co-ordination between Shannon Development, the Shannon-Foynes Port Authority and the Shannon Airport Authority to identify a co-ordinated approach to job creation, foreign direct investment and tourism related developments.
He pointed out there is a crossover in some areas between the three agencies, who could be asked to develop shared goals and opportunities for development.
Deputy Pat Breen welcomed the initiative. He pointed out a new agency could prioritise the development of the Shannon Estuary to its full potential with a link-up to other major infrastructure assets in the region such as Shannon Airport, like the major development of Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands.
Deputy Joe Carey welcomed any initiative that would provide better governance and a stronger business model for the airport.
“Currently, the airport is not best served by the management model exercised by the DAA. Any proposed initiative needs, in my view, to be independent of all other interests with a singular focus on promoting the airport, with the clear objective of a significantly greater number of passengers using the facility from an increased number of destinations.
“This necessary independence does not lessen the need for strong support from other local agencies such as Shannon Development, The Shannon/Foynes Port Company and others. This would be a welcome change from what we have seen over the last number of years, where the airport has veered from stagnation to terminal decline,” he said.