THE GOVERNMENT has established a steering group and two task forces to advise it on the separation of Shannon airport from the Dublin Airport Authority and the restructuring of Shannon Development.
The steering group will be made up of officials representing the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport; Finance; Public Expenditure and Reform; Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation; and Environment and Local Government. It is understood that this will comprise secretaries general and assistant secretaries general from these departments.
The steering group will be charged with producing concrete proposals for the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar, and the Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton.
The steering group will consider proposals from the two task forces.
Bord Gáis chairman Rose Hynes will lead the Aviation Business Development Task Force.
It will be charged with formulating recommendations on the separation of Shannon airport from the Dublin Airport Authority and its merger with the land bank controlled by Shannon Development.
The task force will consider how the merged entity might develop as a business.
Mr Varadkar has previously indicated that this might include developing cargo facilities at Shannon, and its aircraft leasing, maintenance and other aviation-related activities.
John Fitzgerald, a former Dublin City manager who advised the Government on the regeneration of Limerick, will lead the Change Management Task Force.
This group will look at how the various tourism and enterprise activities might be merged with national bodies, including IDA Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.
Firm recommendations are expected to be made by the task forces by the end of this year.
